Page 10 - AsiaElec Week 21 2022

AsiaElec COAL AsiaElec

China’s Shiveekhuren-Ceke

port border crossing re-opens

for Mongolian coal trucks

GLOBAL THE Shiveekhuren-Ceke border crossing Ganqimaodu, which handles about 60%. Ceke
between Mongolia and China commenced oper- imports about a third of its coking coal, while the
ations on May 25, according to Mongolian and rest is produced domestically.
Chinese border officials. However, more than 7mn tonnes of coal
According to Chinese officials, the Chinese lingered at the border crossing when the land
port of Ceke cleared 55 trucks on the first day port was blocked, generating serious economic
of re-opening, with truck containers of coal downturns for Mongolian mining corporations
imports totalling 7,700 tonnes. such as SouthGobi Resources. Southgobi stated
When the first coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 30 that it has paused its major mining
case was discovered in the Alxa League of the operations due to China’s border restrictions,
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in Octo- resulting in a 2021 coal production of 1.4mn
ber 2021, the Ceke port was closed. The closure tonnes, down from 1.5mn tonnes in 2020.
of the port was a huge blow to Mongolia as Ceke With the reopening, Ceke border crossing
port is Mongolia’s second-largest inland coal will co-ordinate disease prevention and control,
export channel. It handles more than 30% of as well as economic and social growth, in order
Inner Mongolia’s coal imports, second only to to promote the smooth recovery of cross-border

NUCLEAR
Construction begins of unit 4 at

China’s Xudabao NPP

CHINA FIRST concrete has been poured for unit 4 of expected to be commissioned in 2027-2028.
China’s Xudabao NPP in Huludao, Liaoning Germany-based Nukem Technologies (part
province. of Rosatom) recently won a contract from Aero-
It is one of four VVER-1200 reactors being sun Corporation for the design of equipment for
built in China by Rosatom in China under a 2018 the future complex for processing solid radioac-
agreement. In parallel with this, the construction tive waste at Xudabao.
of unit 3 is progressing and by the middle of the The contract also includes the purchase and
year, the reactor building will be more than 8 supply of selected equipment, as well as tech-
metres high. nical and installation supervision services for
In June 2018, Russia and China signed four the installation and commissioning of process
agreements for the construction of two VVER- systems.
1200 reactors as units 7&8 at the Tianwan NPP The equipment will be used to treat liquid
in Jiangsu province and two more to be built as radioactive waste (such as spent tar, activated
units 3&4 at the new Xudabao NPP site Further carbon, residues and sludge) and dry waste
agreements signed in June 2019 included a gen- (such as discarded fabric, plastic, rubber, wood,
eral contract for the construction Xudabao 3&4, small metal parts and other waste). Radwaste
as well as a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel. management technologies designated for deliv-
Rosatom will design the nuclear island and ery include: waste resin cleaning system, residue
supply key equipment, as well as provide installa- handling system, dry radioactive waste treat-
tion supervision and commissioning services for ment system, and solid radwaste reloading sys-
the equipment. Turbine generators for the plants tem and waste cementation.™
will be supplied by China. The power units are

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 22 25•May•2022