Asian nation has 35 large-scale reactors under construction
Two Chinese nuclear power projects have reached construction milestones with completion of the reactor building’s outer containment structure at Lianjiang-1 and installation of a section of the inner steel containment at Taipingling-3, local reports said.
At Unit 1 of the Lianjiang nuclear power station in Guangdong province, southern China, workers completed installation of the outer containment dome, marking completion of the main civil structure of the reactor building and allowing the project to move from civil construction to large-scale equipment installation, said the official China National Nuclear Power News Network (CNNPN).
Lianjiang-1 is the first of two CAP1000 pressurised water reactor (PWR) units planned as the initial phase of the station, which will eventually house six such reactors. Construction of Lianjiang-1 began in late September 2023.
The CAP1000 is China’s indigenous version of the Westinghouse AP1000 PWR nuclear plant.
Meanwhile, at Unit 3 of the Taipingling nuclear power station, project teams completed the lifting of the fourth steel containment liner module together with containment cooling ventilation system ductwork.
Construction of Taipingling-3, a domestic Hualong One PWR unit, began in June 2025 with the pouring of first concrete for the unit’s nuclear island. The Taipingling site will have six Hualong One PWR units.
CNNPN said the steel liner forms part of the reactor building's containment system and is considered one of the key safety barriers at a nuclear power plant. The module and ventilation ductwork lifted during the operation had a combined weight of about 319 tonnes.
The operation marked the first time the combined installation method has been used on a Hualong One unit being built by China General Nuclear, CNNPN said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) database of nuclear plants in China says China has 60 plants in commercial operation and 35 under construction, but the actual number is 37 including the recent Taipingling-4 and Jinqimen-2.
About half of those under construction are domestic Hualong One units and nine are CAP1000 units.
Construction of Taipingling-3, a domestic Hualong One PWR unit, began in June 2025. Courtesy CNNPN.
