Construction of indigenous Hualong One plant began in 2024
The inner steel dome of the containment building has been installed for the Shidaowan-1 nuclear reactor unit under construction in the northeastern province of Shandong, China, local reports said.
The dome forms part of the reactor’s double containment building, which consists of inner and other shells made of steel and concrete. The containment is designed to protect the reactor from external effects and withstand high external and internal pressures and protect against radiation release.
Shidaowan-1 is a domestic Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised water reactor (PWR) unit, construction of which began in July 2024.
A twin unit, Shidaowan-2, has been under construction since May 2025 at the site, which is also referred as the Phase I expansion of the Shidaowan nuclear power station.
According to earlier reports, Phase II of the Shidaowan expansion will include two additional Hualong One PWRs, Shidaowan-3 and -4.
The Shidaowan site also houses China’s high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, the commercial 150-MW HTR-PM Shidao Bay-1, and the operational Guohe-1 CAP1400 PWR, which was connected to the national grid in October 2024.
China is moving forward with its indigenous Hualong One reactor technology, also known as the HPR1000. It is a Generation III pressurised water reactor technology jointly developed by CNNC and China General Nuclear Power Group.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), China has 60 commercial nuclear power plants in operation and 35 under construction, but the figure does not include the recent start of construction of Jinqimen-2.
