Photo by Fang Weiwen: Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Project Phase I Units 1 and 2

At 7:46 a.m. on November 28, Unit 1 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power plant, under the investment and operational control of CNNC’s subsidiary China National Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., has been successfully connected to the grid for the first time, supplying its first kilowatt-hour of electricity.

The project in the city of Zhangzhou is the world’s largest Hualong One nuclear power base and is also where batch construction of Hualong One reactors started. The Zhangzhou nuclear power project is designed to have six Hualong One nuclear power units, each with a capacity of one million kilowatts. Four units, including Unit 1, are currently under construction, all maintaining high safety and quality standards. Upon completion, the base will provide robust support for the economic and social development of Fujian Province.

According to on-site confirmation, Unit 1 is in good condition, with all technical indicators meeting design requirements. A series of tests will be conducted as scheduled to further verify the unit’s performance in a bid to meet the conditions for commercial operation, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation. This marked a major step forward in the batch construction process of Hualong One, a domestically developed third-generation reactor, as China seeks to improve its energy mix and meet its dual carbon targets.

Hualong One, China’s independently developed third-generation pressurized water reactor with complete intellectual property rights, meets the highest global safety requirements and the latest technical standards. It has become a national emblem representing China’s nuclear power technology on the global stage. As of now, there are 33 nuclear power units using the Hualong One advanced reactor. This means the Hualong One is the third-generation nuclear reactor that boasts the highest number of units under construction or in operation in the world, making the country among the world leaders in nuclear power technology.

A Hualong One nuclear power unit generates more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the annual production and domestic electricity demands of 1 million people in moderately developed countries. This is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 3.12 million tonnes annually and carbon dioxide emissions by 8.16 million tonnes per year—an environmental impact comparable to planting over 70 million trees each year.

Translated by Fujian Investment Promotion Center