Unit 2 of the Taipingling nuclear power plant in Guangdong province has supplied electricity to the grid for the first time, China General Nuclear announced.
(Image: CGN)
The 1,116 MWe net pressurized water reactor was connected to the grid on July 4, generating its first kilowatt-hour of electricity. It is the second of six Hualong One, or HPR1000, reactors planned for the Taipingling site.
CGN said the milestone marks “a crucial step” toward the commissioning of the second unit at what it described as the first Hualong One nuclear power base in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The company said on-site checks after grid connection showed the unit was operating well and that all technical indicators met design expectations.
A series of tests will be carried out as planned to further verify the unit’s performance. CGN said the unit is expected to officially begin power generation in the second half of 2026.
Taipingling 2 received an operating licence from China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration on April 30. Loading of its 177 fuel assemblies was completed on May 3, and the unit achieved first criticality, or a sustained chain reaction, on June 25.
The Taipingling project is planned to include six Hualong One reactors, with total investment exceeding CNY120 billion, or about USD17 billion. Construction of units 1 and 2 began in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Unit 1 achieved first criticality on February 3, was connected to the grid on February 13, and entered commercial operation on April 19.
China’s State Council approved the second phase of the Taipingling plant, covering units 3 and 4, in December 2023. Construction of unit 3 began in June last year, while the first nuclear safety-related concrete for the reactor building of unit 4 was poured in May.
Once all six units are completed and put into operation, the plant’s annual power generation is expected to exceed 55 billion kilowatt-hours, CGN said. The company said the project will also reduce standard coal consumption by about 16.65 million tonnes and carbon dioxide emissions by about 50.82 million tonnes each year.
