Unit 1 of China’s Sanao NPP in Zhejiang province of has produced its first electricity after being connected to the grid, China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) announced. The unit will now begin its trial operation phase, conducting planned power increase and performance tests, and is expected to officially begin commercial operation within the first half of 2026.
The Sanao NPP will eventually consist of six Hualong One units Construction of the plant was authorised in 2015 by the Chinese government. The plant is being constructed by the Cangnan Nuclear Power Company, part of CGN. The Sanao project is the first Chinese nuclear power project involving private capital, with Geely Technology Group taking a 2% stake in the plant. CGN holds 46% of the shares of the project company Cangnan Nuclear Power, with other state-owned enterprises holding the remainder.
Construction of the first unit began in December 2020 followed by unit 2 in December 2021. In August 2024, CGN received approval to construct units 3&4 and construction of unit 3 began in 2025. The first unit is expected to begin operation in 2026, and unit 2 in 2027.
Upon completion, the project will provide more than 54 TWh of electricity a year to Zhejiang Province and the Yangtze River Delta region, home to a number of leading artificial intelligence companies such as DeepSeek. The plant will reduce standard coal consumption by more than 16m tonnes and carbon dioxide emissions by over 51m tonnes a year, CGN noted.
