Beijing has just given green light for eight new reactors
Unit 2 of the Taipingling nuclear power station in Guangdong province, southern China, has begun commercial operation, China General Nuclear (CGN) said.
The unit is the second of six Hualong One pressurised water reactor units being developed by CGN at the site.
Construction of Unit 2 began in October 2020. Units 1 and 3 have been under construction since December 2019 and June 2025.
Unit 1 reached first criticality on 3 February and was connected to the grid on 13 February. It began commercial operation on 19 April.
The Hualong One, also known as the HPR1000, is a domestically developed pressurised water reactor that combines features from China National Nuclear Corporation’s ACP1000 and CGN’s ACPR1000+ designs.
Hualong One is now China’s flagship reactor technology comprising about half of all reactor new-build projects in the country.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, China has 60 commercial nuclear plants in operation – not including Taipingling-2 – and 37 under construction.
China’s nuclear energy targets aim for 110 GW of installed capacity by 2030, up from about 58 GW today, and an expansion to roughly 200 GW by 2040.
China has just approved the construction and operation of eight new nuclear power units, with four using new generation Hualong One 2.0 technology for the first time.
