The generator stator for the Taishan 1 EPR has arrived on site and been hoisted into place for installation.

Producing 1750 MWe, the component is said to be the largest single-piece electrical generator in the world. The 495 tonne item left Dongfang Electric’s manufacturing facility at the end of August, travelling by road from Deyang in Sichuan province to the Taishan construction site in Guangdong province.

In a five-hour operation on 6 October the generator stator was lifted and rotated 90 degrees for installation in the turbine building of Taishan 1. It will produce 1750 MWe gross when attached to the generator rotor and steam turbine driven by heat from the nuclear reactor. Around 90 MWe of this power will be used by plant systems such as the large pumps that circulate cooling water, leaving 1660 MWe net for supply to the grid. Taishan will have two such Areva EPR units, slated to begin operation in 2014 and 2015. The plant is owned by China General Nuclear (CGN).