nuclear-news

Argentina getting ‘made in China’ reactor http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Argentina-getting-made-in-China-reactor, TETSUYA ABE, Nikkei staff writer, 17 Nov 15  BEIJING — China has clinched a deal to supply a nuclear reactor to Argentina, the fruit of an all-out effort by Beijing to ramp up infrastructure-related exports.

     The deal between the state-run China National Nuclear Corp. and a state-owned Argentine nuclear power company was reached on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Turkey, the Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. The contract totals $4.7 billion, according to Xinhua.

CNNC will supply equipment and parts for Argentina’s fourth and fifth reactors, slated for construction at the Atucha nuclear plant in Buenos Aires Province. The Hualong 1 reactor, a model that CNNC is said to have developed with China General Nuclear Power, will be adopted for the No. 5 reactor at the site. The Chinese side will cover a portion of the construction costs and offer low-interest loans. CNNC is also expected to supply the pressure vessel and steam generator for the No. 4 reactor.

At a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister David Cameron in October, the U.K. agreed to adopt the Hualong 1 at southeastern England’s Bradwell nuclear plant. China will also export five of the reactors to Pakistan for $15 billion in all. This type of reactor is said to cost roughly two-thirds as much to introduce as a comparable facility built in an industrialized nation.

Despite its limited track record in reactor operations and accident management, China has stepped up marketing efforts abroad by offering low prices. China General Nuclear Power recently signed a 7.2 billion euro ($7.6 billion) atomic energy deal with Romania. China’s strategy of sweetening deals by shouldering a portion of the costs for emerging nations poses a threat to established global players.