Qinshan nuclear power plant 3-1
Gross capacity
728MW
Qinshan nuclear power plant 3-1 is a pressurised water reactor unit at Qinshan nuclear power plant in China rated at 728 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 31 Dec 2002.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | CANDU 6 |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 728MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 677MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 677MW |
| Thermal output | 2,064MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Qinshan nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3-1 |
| Country | China |
| Owner | China National Nuclear Power Co Ltd100% |
| Operator | Third Qinshan Nuclear Power |
| Coordinates | 30.4417, 120.9415 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- BWX Technologies CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- Cameco Corporation CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- China North Nuclear Fuel Company CANDU fuel bundles
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel CANDU fuel bundles
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India PHWR fuel bundles, natural uranium
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 8 Jun 1998Construction start
- 21 Sep 2002First criticality
- 19 Nov 2002Grid connection
- 31 Dec 2002Commercial operation
Other units at Qinshan nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 1-1 | 330 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 2-1 | 670 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 2-2 | 708 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 2-3 | 670 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 2-4 | 670 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 3-2 | 728 |
Other CANDU 6 units
14 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cernavodă nuclear power plant 1 | Romania | 706 | |
| Cernavodă nuclear power plant 2 | Romania | 705 | |
| Embalse nuclear power plant | Argentina | 656 | |
| Point Lepreau nuclear power plant 1 | Canada | 705 | |
| Qinshan nuclear power plant 3-2 | China | 728 | |
| Wolsong nuclear power plant 2 | South Korea | 599 | |
| Wolsong nuclear power plant 3 | South Korea | 624 | |
| Wolsong nuclear power plant 4 | South Korea | 589 | |
| Cernavodă nuclear power plant 3 | Romania | Pre-construction | 720 |
| Cernavodă nuclear power plant 4 | Romania | Pre-construction | 720 |
| Cernavodă nuclear power plant 5 | Romania | Cancelled | 706 |
| Gentilly nuclear power plant 2 | Canada | Retired | 675 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-07
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted