CNNC said the project will help heat about 4,000 households and will serve as an example for the implementation of large-scale heating services in southern China in the future.
Cogeneration from nuclear power means heat generated in a nuclear plant while generating electricity – heat that would normally be lost – can be used to heat households or industrial processes.
According to CNNC, the cogeneration-powered district heating will reduce CO2 emissions by 59,000 tonnes a year – equivalent to burning 24,600 tonnes of coal a year.
The Qinshan station has seven plants built in three phases with a total net capacity of about 4,200 MW.
Last month, Haiyang, in China’s eastern Shandong Province, became the first city in the country to have its district heating system powered by nuclear energy.
Cogeneration from the nearby Haiyang-1 nuclear plant replaced coal-fired boilers used to heat households in Haiyang, a coastal city of 200,000 residents. The operation has helped reduce CO2 emissions by 180,000 tonnes, sources said.
Haiyang has two Westinghouse AP1000 pressurised water reactor units that began commercial operation in 2018 and 2019.
