Country now has 61 nuclear power plants in commercial operation
Unit 3 of the Changjiang nuclear power station in south China has begun commercial operation, China Huaneng Group said.
The unit in China’s island province of Hainan, is the first of two domestic Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised water reactor (PWR) units being constructed as Phase II of the Changjiang facility.
Changjiang-3 achieved first criticality on in July and was connected to the grid in early August.
Construction of Changjiang-3 began in March 2021. Construction of an identical unit, Changjiang-4, began in December 2021.
Two CNP-600 PWRs have been in operation at the Changjiang site since 2015 and 2016.
The Hualong One PWR combines features from China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC) ACP1000 and China General Nuclear’s ACPR1000+ designs.
The Hualong One is now China’s flagship reactor technology, comprising about half of all reactor new-build projects in the country.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, China has 60 commercial reactor units in operation and 37 under construction, far more than any other country. With full operation of Changjiang-3, those figures become 61 in commercial operation and 36 under construction.
Changjiang-3 is the first large-scale power reactor that Beijing-based China Huaneng Group has constructed and operated as the controlling stakeholder.
China Huaneng holds a 51% controlling stake in the project, partnered with CNNC.
The company, one of China’s primary state-owned power enterprises, holds a controlling stake in the demonstration High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor-Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM) plant at the Shidaowan site in Shandong Province, northeastern China. The HTR-PM began commercial operation in December 2023.
China Huaneng Group also holds minority stakes in a number of other units.
