MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - The first reactor of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China will reach full capacity in December, the head of Russia's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly Atomstroiexport said Wednesday.
Russia is building the Tianwan NPP in eastern China's port city of Lianyungang, featuring improved VVER-1000 reactors and K-100-6/3000 turbo-generators, under a Russian-Chinese agreement signed in 1992.
Sergei Shmatko said, "We plan to reach bring the first unit of the Tianwan NPP up to 100% capacity in the second half of December this year, and in the first half of December we plan to bring the power unit to 90% of capacity," having obtained permission from the Chinese authorities.
"We are likely to postpone the commercial launch of the second power unit from April 2007 until fall 2007," he told journalists.
Atomstroiexport is currently building five nuclear power plants in China, India and Iran, on contracts worth $4.5 billion, and is also bidding to build a plant in Belene, Bulgaria.
Shmatko also said his company is planning to build new NPPs in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
"I do not rule out the emergence of new commercial NPP construction projects in China," he said.
"We are waiting for the results of a tender to build the Belene NPP in Bulgaria, and also know that Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary have plans to modernize and develop their nuclear power industries. We refer these countries to our traditional markets," he said.
Shmatko said he is convinced Atomstroiexport will obtain orders to build new NPPs in these countries.
Speaking about plans to build new NPPs in Asia and Africa, Shmatko said "very interesting talks with Turkey" are underway.
He also said talks could be held with Morocco, Vietnam, Egypt and the South African Republic.
