Plant is first of two CAP1000 PWR units planned as initial phase of project
All main equipment has been installed for the nuclear island of Unit 1 at the Lianjiang nuclear power station in Guangdong province, southern China, according to the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA).
The CNEA said the milestone follows the successful installation of the second steam generator (of two), finalising installation of the main reactor components, including the pressure vessel, two steam generators, and the pressuriser.
Next steps will involve connecting the primary circuit and capping the reactor building, the CNEA said.
In a pressurised water reactor (PWR) system, the steam generators transfer heat produced by the nuclear reaction to turn demineralised water into steam which is used to power the turbines.
Lianjiang-1 is the first of two CAP1000 PWR units planned as the initial phase of the station, which will eventually house six such reactors.
The CAP1000 is China’s indigenous version of the Westinghouse AP1000 PWR nuclear plant.
Construction of Lianjiang-1 began in September 2023.
China is currently building nine CAP1000 reactor units across several sites: two each at Haiyang, Lianjiang, Sanmen, and Xudapu (also known as Xudabao), along with one unit at Lufeng, which has not yet appeared in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s official reactor database. Construction of that unit was reported to have begun in February 2025. A second Lufeng CAP1000 is to be built under an August 2024 approval.
According to previous reports, a second phase at Lianjiang could add four more CAP1000 units, although no further information has been released on the timeline or project status.
