Construction of Hualong One unit began in March 2021
Workers have finished concreting the containment building dome for Unit 3 of the Changjiang nuclear power station in Hainan province, southern China, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said.
The association said the milestone means the plant is now ready for hot functional testing, which will verify the operation of reactor components and systems before fuel loading.
Changjiang-3 is a domestic Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised water reactor (PWR) unit with a gross design capacity of 1,200 MW. Construction began in March 2021.
In April 2025, the unit underwent cold hydraulic testing of pressure tightness for key systems such as welds, joints, pipes and components in the primary circuit.
In 2023, the steel dome for Changjiang-3’s inner containment was raised by crane and placed on top of the walls of the double containment structure. The outer steel dome was lifted into place in October 2024.
Two CNP-600 PWRs have been in operation at the Changjiang site since 2015 and 2016.
A fourth unit, the Changjiang-4 Hualong One, has been under construction since December 2021.
China is moving forward with its indigenous reactor technology, with 19 Hualong One reactor units now either operational or under construction.
According to data by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), China has 29* reactors under construction, 14 of which are of the Hualong One design.
* Five Hualong One units are in commercial operation and 14 under construction, according to IAEA data. Two additional Hualong One units are reportedly under construction at Jinqimen and one CAP1000 at Lufeng, but these three units are not listed by the IAEA. If these units are taken into account, the number of reactors under construction in China is 32.
