The first concrete has been poured for the nuclear island of unit 2 at China’s Zhaoyuan NPP in Shandong province, China General Nuclear Power (CGN) reported. China National Nuclear Corporation subsidiary China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Corp (CNECC), which has been contracted to build the unit, said the pour involved about 8,800 cubic metres of concrete.
The site is planned to house six Hualong One reactors with a total installed capacity of about 7,200 MWe. Construction of Phase I (units 1&2) was approved by China’s State Council in August 2024. First concrete was poured for unit 1 in November 2025. The project, involving total investment of about CNY120bn ($16.9bn) is being constructed and operated by CGN subsidiary Shandong Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Company.
Once fully completed, the Zhaoyuan NPP is expected to generate up to 50 50 TWh a year, enough to cover household electricity needs of approximately 5m people. It will avoid the use of 15.27m tonnes of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 46.2m tonnes a year.
The Zhaoyuan NPP is China’s first third-generation nuclear power project equipped with cooling towers that use air instead of seawater as a direct cooling source, significantly reducing energy consumption and ensuring the safety of the cooling source. Each unit will be equipped with a 203-metre-tall cooling tower with a spray area of 16,800 square metres.
The project is having a positive impact on the local industrial chain, as CGN has established partnerships with more than 300 enterprises in Shandong, said Yu Xiangdong, executive director of CGN’s local subsidiary Shandong Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power. The plant will also integrate into the local heating system to build a demonstration base for comprehensive nuclear energy use, he added.
Currently, there are 58 new nuclear units approved or under construction in China with an installed capacity of 69,500 MWe. This is in addition to the 62 units already in operation, with an installed capacity of 66,100 MWe. By 2030, China’s nuclear power installed capacity in operation will reach about 110,000 MWe.
