Two indigenous Hualong One plants under construction at site
The outer steel dome of the nuclear island containment building has been lifted into place for Unit 4 of the Changjiang nuclear power station under construction in Hainan province, southern China, developer CNNC) said.
Changjiang-4 is a domestic Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised water reactor (PWR) unit with a gross design capacity of 1,200 MW. Construction began in December 2021.
The dome forms part of the reactor’s double containment building, which is designed to protect the reactor from external effects and withstand high external and internal pressures and protect against radiation release.
In April 2025, workers completed welding of the main circulation pipeline for Changjiang-4.
Two CNP-600 pressurised water reactors have been in commercial operation at the Changjiang site since 2015 and 2016.
A fourth unit at the site, Changjiang-3, also a Hualong One, has been under construction since March 2021.
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.
