Hualong One Unit Begins Commercial Operation in Southern China
Shenzhen (ANTARA) - A new nuclear power plant unit using Hualong One, a third-generation nuclear reactor designed in China, began commercial operation on Monday (3/8) in Guangdong Province, southern China, according to the China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN).
The operation of Unit No. 2 marks the completion of the first phase of the Taipingling nuclear power plant project and its full commissioning, making it the first nuclear project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to adopt Hualong One technology. Unit No. 1 of the project began operating in April this year.
Located in the Huidong area of Huizhou City, the project is planned to have a total of six Hualong One units. The two units in the first phase were approved in April 2019, with construction of Unit No. 2 beginning in October 2020.
The two units are expected to generate more than 18 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to supply power to nearly 2 million residents, and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16.63 million tonnes annually, according to Zhang Guoqiang, chairman of CGN Huizhou Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
The Hualong One reactor meets the highest global safety standards and represents an important milestone in China’s development of innovative nuclear power.
Experts believe that the completion of the first phase of the Taipingling nuclear power plant is a significant step in strengthening clean energy supply capacity in the Greater Bay Area whilst advancing China’s dual carbon targets.
China aims to have a new energy system that is clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient basically established by 2030, according to a five-year plan recently released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration.
The plan calls for the proactive and orderly development of nuclear power whilst prioritising safety, and targets an installed nuclear capacity of around 110 gigawatts in operation by 2030.
As of the end of 2025, China has 112 nuclear power units that are operating, under construction, or approved for construction. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the number of commercially operating nuclear power units is expected to exceed 100.