China's first US-designed reactor, Sanmen-1, records first criticality

摘要

Sanmen-1, in China's Zhejiang province, the world's first nuclear generating unit of the Westinghouse AP1000 design, successfully reached first criticality Thursday, project operator State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation said. The successful criticality is a milestone in the construction of the 1,200-MW Sanmen-1, which is now a step closer to entering commercial operation, SNPTC said in a statement. First criticality represents the start of a self-sustaining fission reaction in the core of a reactor. The step will be followed closely by the production of power and connection to the grid, reactor designer Westinghouse said in a separate statement Thursday.