Excavation work has begun on the foundation of the nuclear island unit 2 at China’s Bailong NPP in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region about 24 kilometres from the border with Vietnam. It is the second of two units with CAP1000 reactors, which are planned as the first stage of the Bailong plant. Excavation work has begun the Bailong construction pit, according to the State Energy Investment Corporation (SPIC) subsidiary Guangxi Nuclear Power Company.
The first stage of the Bailong project (units 1&2) was part of a list of 11 units for which construction permits were issued by the State Council (Government) of China in August 2024. An investment of about CNY40bn ($5.6bn) is planned for construction the two units, which is expected to take about five years. In subsequent phases, four CAP1400 reactors are also planned to be built at the site.
Excavation of about 66,000 cubic metres of earth to form the foundation pit of unit 1, which will eventually be 12.2 metres deep and cover an area of about 3,000 square metres, began at the end of 2024. Guangxi Nuclear Power said excavation of the two nuclear island foundation pits utilises a “vertical slope construction technique with support first and excavation later”.
According to Guangxi Nuclear Power, after the commissioning of Bailong 1&2 the plant’s annual electricity generation will be about 20 TWh, which could reduce consumption of standard coal by about 6m tonnes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 16m tonnes a year.
