Rendergraph of Zhuanghe nuclear power project site of CNNC Photo: Official WeChat account of CNNC

A State Council executive meeting on Friday approved eight reactor units, six of which will feature Hualong One nuclear technology, with two units designated as demonstration projects for the Hualong One technology, version 2.0, according to a release by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on its official WeChat account on Friday.

The approved units cover Phase II of Jinqimen nuclear power plant in Ningbo of East China's Zhejiang Province, Phase III of Taipingling nuclear power project in South China's Guangdong Province, Phase I of Zhuanghe nuclear power plant in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, and Phase I of Laiyang nuclear power plant in East China's Shandong Province.

Among them, the six units at Phase II of Jinqimen nuclear power plant, Phase III of Taipingling nuclear power plant and Phase I of Zhuanghe nuclear power plant all employ Hualong One technology. Specifically, Phase II of Jinqimen nuclear power plant and Phase III of Taipingling nuclear power plant have been confirmed as demonstration sites for Hualong One 2.0, according to the release.

Developed by CNNC and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) drawing on China's over four decades of experience in nuclear power research, design, manufacturing, construction and operation, Hualong One is a domestically developed third-generation million-kilowatt pressurized water reactor technology with fully independent intellectual property rights, hailed as a national calling card.

Built upon operational feedback from existing Hualong One facilities via independent innovation and integrated coordination, Hualong One 2.0 represents advanced Generation III plus pressurized water reactor technology. It marks a landmark achievement for China's nuclear sector as the industry shifts from keeping pace with global peers in most fields to catching up comprehensively while taking the lead in certain segments, per the release.

Adopting Chinese standards, homegrown software and optimized active and passive safety systems, Hualong One 2.0 incorporates state-of-the-art technologies such as intelligent control and modular construction. Such advances drastically cut construction workload and deliver all-round improvements in safety performance, technical sophistication and economic efficiency, equipping the reactor with stronger overall competitiveness, according to the release.

To date, 10 Hualong One units at home and abroad have entered commercial operation, with another 37 approved and under construction. The total number of units ranks first worldwide among third-generation nuclear power reactors, whose reliability has been verified through large-scale batch construction and operation, the release said.

Each single Hualong One unit boasts an annual designed power output of nearly 10 billion kilowatt-hours, enough to satisfy the annual electricity demand for production and daily consumption of a medium-sized city home to more than one million residents. The unit helps cut annual consumption of standard coal by over 3 million tons and curb carbon dioxide emissions by more than 9 million tons.

Furthermore, the research and construction of Hualong One have driven nearly 6,000 upstream and downstream enterprises to form a complete industrial supply chain, effectively galvanizing the industrial upgrading of China's manufacturing sector.

As more Hualong One units are completed and put into operation successively, China will further strengthen the resilience and independence of its energy supply, better facilitate the development of a new-type energy system and safeguard national energy security. In addition, the technology will offer more Chinese solutions for the global green and low-carbon energy transition.

Global Times