China has begun the next phase of construction at the Bailong NPP in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by pouring the first concrete for the basemat of unit 2’s conventional island, the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) reported. This follows the first concrete pour for unit 1‘s nuclear island in December 2025. The plant site is located on the Jiangshan Peninsula in Fangchenggang City just 24 kilometres from the Vietnam border.
Phase I (units 1&2) will use indigenous CAP1000 pressurised water reactors, which are China’s adapted version of the Westinghouse AP1000 design. Subsequent phases (units 3-6) plan to deploy the larger CAP1400 plants, also known as Guohe One. In September 2020, SPIC rebranded and launched the commercial technology under the name Guohe One. The advanced Generation III+ pressurised water reactor was scaled it up from the Westinghouse AP1000 design. China holds full, independent intellectual property rights for the Guohe One, removing original export licensing restrictions. The first demonstration units were constructed at the Shidaowan NPP in Shandong Province where unit 1 has begun commercial operations.
Bailong Phase I costs approximately CNY40bn ($5.6bn). The full six-reactor megaproject represents a total projected investment of CNY120bn. Each of the first two units is scheduled to take 56 months to reach commercial completion. Once fully online, Phase I will generate 20 TWh of clean electricity annually. This output will offset standard coal consumption by 6m tonnes and prevent 16m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
SPIC noted that, after Typhoon Mesak hit Fangchenggang in July, the Bailong site continued to experience high temperatures for many days, posing challenges to the on-site construction. Faced with a complex and harsh construction environment, the Guangxi Nuclear Power Party Committee coordinated planning and precise deployment with the general contractor Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Technology and the construction unit China National Nuclear Corporation to solve the construction problems.
