China started loading fuel this week at a Westinghouse-designed AP1000 nuclear reactor – the world’s first – in Sanmen, eastern Zhejiang province, as the long-delayed project took a key step towards becoming operational. Fuel was loaded in the evening of April 25 after the reactor met design and installation requirements, according to a statement posted on the website of China’s State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) on Saturday. The unit is expected to start operations soon. The AP1000 was originally expected to make its debut in Zhejiang in 2014, but it is more than three years behind schedule, dogged by safety concerns and design changes.
Reuters 28th April 2018 read more »