Witnessed by supervisors of MEE East China Nuclear and Radiation Oversight Station (hereinafter referred to as MEE/ECNROS), Fujian Fuqing Nuclear Power Co. (hereinafter referred to as FQNPC) successfully completed the reactor core verification work after the first loading of Unit 5 at 5:00 pm, on September 10, 2020. So far, China’s third generation nuclear power technology “Hualong One” the world’s first reactor with independent intellectual property rights -- the first loading of FQNPC’s unit 5 came to a successfully end.

Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the PRC issued the operating license of Unit 5 to FQNPC at 2:30 pm, on September 4, 2020 in Beijing, and MEE/ECNROS’s verification and confirmation of the preparation before the first loading at the site of FQNPC also entered the final stage. All documents, rows of buttons and layers of workshop needed to be verified, and such verification had been going on for nearly a week. After confirming the issue of operating license, the final confirmation of site conditions was required.

At 3:00 pm, MEE/ECNROS’s supervisors confirmed that the operation department and the commissioning department had completed the relevant work, relevant documents had been signed, and the unit had no defects and alarms that affected the safety and state transition. After that, they quickly moved to the loading site of the nuclear island plant to confirm the site preparation for the first loading finally. Every work that may affect loading needed to be carefully confirmed, including personnel preparation, document preparation, site management, especially foreign object prevention.

At 3:30 pm, after final confirmation, MEE/ECNROS confirmed on site that FQNPC Unit 5 had been ready for the first loading, and the first loading of “Hualong One”the world’s first reactor started formally, which was the first loaded “Hualong One” Unit in the world. Then, “Hualong One” first global launch goes into nuclear operation mode.

As China’s third-generation nuclear power technology with complete independent intellectual property rights-“Hualong One”the world’s first reactor, National Nuclear Safety Administration and MEE/ECNROS attached great importance to the first loading of Unit 5 of FQNPC. MEE/ECNROS had organized an inspection team to investigate the preparation for the first loading of Unit 5 of FQNPC from July 27 to July 31, and had reported to the National Nuclear Safety Administration based on the on-site inspection. According to the on-site preparation, National Nuclear Safety Administration organized an inspection team to conduct comprehensive inspection before the issuance of operating license for Unit 5 of FQNPC from August 17 to August 21. MEE/ECNROS verified the implementation of comprehensive-inspection rectification before issuing the operating license for Unit 5 in FQNPC from August 25 to September 2, and then formed a verification report. After verification, FQNPC had implemented all rectification items required before the first loading of Unit 5.

From September 4 to September 7, responsible personnel of relevant departments of MEE/ECNROS supervised and witnessed the first loading of Unit 5 on site in FQNPC. At 3:25 pm, September 10, the 177 fuel assembly of FQNPC Unit 5 was successfully loaded into the reactor core, and the refueling machine was moved out of the pressure vessel core, then the first-furnace fuel loading ended. After that, the core verification work started on site, and MEE/ECNROS witnessed the whole process of core verification. At 5:00 pm, with the completion of the core verification, the first loading of the “Hualong One” the world’s first reactor was completed successfully.

Guided by the rational, coordinated and progressive nuclear safety concept in the supervision work of “Hualong One” world’s first reactor, National Nuclear Safety Administration and MEE/ECNROS strived to better integrate the strictest supervision with servicing national major projects, insisted on that party members and cadres should demonstrate themselves first and take the initiative, and stayed in the first line of “Hualong One” commissioning during the epidemic situation and guaranteed the commissioning quality, securing the success of the first loading of “Hualong One” the world’s first reactor.

“Where of what’s past is prologue”.MEE/ECNROS will carry forward the spirit of the Iron Army for nuclear safety, continue to supervise the operation of “Hualong One” the world’s first reactor with a careful, strict and realistic attitude, and do a good job in the follow-up unit construction supervision, contributing to building China’s “nuclear power business card”.