Unit 4 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power station in Guangxi, southern China, has officially begun commercial operation – bringing the number of commercial reactors in the country to 56.

China General Nuclear (CGN) said the 1,000 MW plant, which reached first criticality last month, had completed a 168-hour trial run at 08:00 local time on 25 May.

Fangchenggang-4 is a domestically developed HPR1000, or Hualong One, pressurised water reactor unit. Construction began in December 2016. It is the second of two Hualong One units at the site. Twin unit Fangchenggang-3 began commercial operation in March 2023.

The commissioning of the unit marks the full completion of CGN's Hualong One demonstration project at Fangchenggang, CGN said.