Changjiang 3 enters commercial operation as first of two Hualong One units
Phase II's two Hualong One units carry an estimated CNY40 billion investment, 51% held by China Huaneng.
_29250_15814.jpg)
Key facts
- First concrete for unit 3 poured March 2021; unit 4's base slab followed in December
- Unit 3 achieved first criticality July 10 and was connected to the grid August 1
- Both Phase II units scheduled fully operational in early 2027, per China Huaneng
- Phase II projected at 18 billion kWh annually, cutting 11.6 million tons of CO2, per Huaneng's Liu Bin
- ACP100 SMR at the site since 2021, 125 MWe, in pre-commissioning tests
Unit 3 of the Changjiang nuclear power plant in China's Hainan province entered commercial operation, China Huaneng said on September 17. It is the first of two Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors built as Phase II of the site.
First concrete for the nuclear island base slab of unit 3 was poured in March 2021, and for unit 4 in December 2021. Phase II carries a total estimated investment of CNY40 billion (USD5.9 billion), according to China Huaneng, which holds a 51% share in the project. Both units are scheduled to be fully operational in early 2027, the company said.
Unit 3 reached first criticality, a sustained chain reaction, on July 10 and was connected to the grid on August 1.
Changjiang already hosts two operating CNP-600 PWRs, units 1 and 2, which entered commercial operation in 2015 and 2016. CNNC began construction of a demonstration ACP100 small modular reactor at the site in 2021. The 125 MWe PWR, also called Linglong One, is designed for electricity production, heating, steam production or seawater desalination, and is undergoing pre-commissioning tests.
Liu Bin, general manager of Huaneng Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Company Ltd, said Phase II is expected to generate 18 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, replacing more than 6.32 million metric tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 11.6 million tons annually.
Changjiang 3 is the first large-scale power reactor China Huaneng Group has constructed and operated as controlling stakeholder. The company holds a controlling stake in the HTR-PM demonstration at the Shidaowan site in Shandong, which entered commercial operation in December 2023, and minority stakes in other units.