China’s State Council has approved the construction of four nuclear power projects comprising eight generating units. Total investment in the projects is estimated at more than CNY170bn ($25.2bn). The projects include two units each in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Liaoning and Shandong provinces.
The newly approved nuclear projects include two units each for phase II of Jinqimen NPP in East China’s Zhejiang Province, phase III of Taipingling NPP in South China’s Guangdong Province, Phase I of the Zhuanghe NPP in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, and Laiyang NPP in East China’s Shandong Province.
Phase II of CNNC’s Jinqimen NPP will use China’s third-generation Hualong One Version 2.0 technology and will include private capital participation. Once fully completed, the six-unit site will support power supply and green transition in Zhejiang and the Yangtze River Delta.
The upgraded Hualong One Version 2.0 will also be deployed at the Taipingling plant, with each unit having a capacity of 1,217 MWe megawatt, CGN Power Co said. Once complete, the six-unit plant is expected to generate over 55 TWh annually. Phase I of CNNC’s new Zhuanghe NPP will use standard Hualong One technology.
The new Laiyang plant will construct two 1,543 MWe Guohe One units – China’s independent third-generation technology, SPIC Industry-Finance Holdings Co said. The project marks the start of large-scale, standardised construction of Guohe One units. Once complete, the six-unit Laiyang project, with total investment of CNY128.3bn, is set to become China’s biggest NPP by installed capacity.
China has approved 49 nuclear reactors since 2022, with a total investment of nearly CNY1,000bn signalling a new phase of rapid development for the Chinese nuclear power industry.
Hualong One is a third-generation, pressurised water developed by CNNC and CGN. Ten Hualong One units are in commercial operation, both domestically and internationally, with 37 more approved or already under construction.
Guohe One is a third-generation nuclear power technology developed by State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), with fully autonomous intellectual property rights. The first Guohe One unit of the Rongcheng nuclear power project in Shandong has already entered commercial operation, while the second unit is in the commissioning phase.
In April, China’s total installed nuclear power capacity was put at 125 GWe, with 60 nuclear units in commercial operation and 36 under construction.
