Westinghouse Completes Sanmen 1 Containment Vessel Testing Milestone

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC today announced the successful completion of testing that validates the containment vessel of the Sanmen Unit 1 nuclear power plant meets design and construction quality requirements and provides a robust barrier to protect public health and safety.

“The containment vessel pressure testing is another significant milestone in the delivery of the world’s first AP1000® nuclear power plant,” said Haydn Doughty, Westinghouse site director at Sanmen. “The testing confirms the integrity of the containment vessel structure and keeps Westinghouse and our delivery partners on a clear path to project completion.”

The two-part testing began Oct. 14 and concluded Nov. 6. In the first test – the Structural Integrity Test (SIT) – the containment vessel was pressurized and monitored to demonstrate that its design and construction meet all applicable industry codes and standards at 110 percent of design pressure. After successful completion of the SIT on Oct. 31, the containment vessel was pressurized to design pressure and the Integrated Leak Rate Test (ILRT) was performed to demonstrate the containment vessel’s ability to prevent the release of fission products in the event of an emergency. Final data reports on the testing are in process and will be issued by the end of the year.

The SIT/ILRT milestone completion follows the announcement in late October that the AP1000 plant’s reactor coolant pumps had been successfully qualified and would arrive at Sanmen 1 by the end of December to support key upcoming milestones. Four AP1000 units are currently under construction in China: two each at Sanmen in Zhejiang Province and Haiyang in Shandong Province.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa., U.S. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. AP1000 is a trademark of Westinghouse Electric Company LLC. All rights reserved.