Nuclear safety starts from "one foundation"

The most important building of a nuclear power plant is the nuclear island. The weight of the containment, reactor core, and main equipment of the nuclear island all rests on a single concrete raft foundation. This foundation must withstand the static weight of the nuclear island and also resist extreme loads under earthquake and accident conditions. It is the first safety foundation of a nuclear power plant. Therefore, the mass concrete pouring requirements for the nuclear island foundation are stricter than those for any civil building: it cannot stop, cannot crack, and cannot have seams. Thousands of cubic meters are formed in a single continuous pour. Once pouring begins, it cannot stop for dozens of hours, with people resting but machines not stopping. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) attaches great importance to the quality of the nuclear island foundation and has always regarded the first concrete pouring (FCD) of the nuclear island as the first important node in the construction phase of a nuclear power plant, organizing whole-process supervision.

Recently, the North China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Supervision Station) and the East China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station, in accordance with the supervision plan, jointly organized and carried out whole-process supervision of the FCD for Unit 2 of the Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Plant. The joint inspection adhered to unified standards and mutual learning, closely focused on the core processes and risk points of the nuclear island foundation, and through on-site inspections, process reviews, document verification, and closed-loop hazard elimination, comprehensively investigated weak links in construction, precisely corrected non-compliant practices in document control, foreign material exclusion management, and slump testing, and pressed construction, contracting, and supervision parties to fulfill their primary responsibilities for nuclear safety, effectively shoring up the quality defense line for foundation construction.

Next, the North China Supervision Station will closely follow the new situation and new requirements of nuclear power construction, continue to strive and tackle challenges in succession, start from "one foundation," and resolutely shoulder the political responsibility for nuclear safety supervision of the Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Plant. It will closely monitor the key stages of civil construction, strictly control the entire process including foundation curing, formwork removal inspection, and re-verification of companion-cured test blocks, strictly check every process and guard every pass, and ensure the quality of the nuclear island foundation. It will continue to deepen the regulatory linkage mechanism, always adhere to the strictest standards, the most solid measures, and the most pragmatic work style, fully guarantee high-standard construction, high-quality advancement, and high-level implementation of nuclear power projects in the jurisdiction, and safeguard the high-quality development of the nuclear industry with high-level nuclear safety assurance.