CNNC completes inner containment dome concrete pour at Zhangzhou 3

China National Nuclear Corporation poured the last batch of concrete for the inner containment dome of Zhangzhou unit 3 on September 30, completing civil engineering work on the unit's inner containment structure, the company said. The HPR1000 (Hualong One) design uses a double-layered containment building to keep the reactor building leak-tight and contain radioactive substances.

Zhangzhou 1 and 2 are already operating

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued construction licences for Zhangzhou units 1 and 2, both Hualong One reactors, in October 2019 to CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, the project owner created by CNNC (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%) in 2011. Construction of unit 1 began in October 2019 and of unit 2 in September 2020. Unit 1 entered commercial operation on January 1, 2025, and unit 2 on January 1, 2026.

The State Council approved units 3 and 4 as Phase II in September 2022. Construction of unit 3 began in February 2024, and of unit 4 in September. The inner steel safety dome was installed on unit 3 in early February. Proposals exist for two more Hualong One units; a completed six-unit Zhangzhou plant would provide more than 60 billion kilowatt-hours a year, estimated to cover 75% of the electricity consumption of Xiamen and Zhangzhou.

Zhaoyuan 2 pours nuclear island concrete

China General Nuclear said Phase I of the Zhaoyuan plant, units 1 and 2, has entered its peak civil construction period. Concrete pouring for the inner five layers and outer one layer of unit 1's reactor building is complete, and internal wall panel construction is proceeding. Unit 2 has made its first concrete pour for the nuclear island, conventional island and cooling tower. Offshore engineering and onshore intake and drainage pipelines are also progressing, CGN said.

Zhaoyuan to hold six units

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment accepted the environmental impact assessment documents for the Zhaoyuan site selection stage in November 2022, and the State Council approved Phase I in August 2024. First concrete was poured for unit 1 in November 2025 and for unit 2 on September 5. The plant, with a total investment of about CNY120 billion ($16.9 billion), will house six Hualong One units totalling 7.2 GWe. CGN expects each unit to start generating 50-60 months after construction starts, and the plant to produce 50 TWh a year, cutting standard coal consumption by about 15.27 million tonnes and CO2 emissions by about 46.2 million tonnes annually. It is the first application of secondary circulation large-scale seawater cooling systems at a nuclear plant in China, according to CGN, each unit fitted with a 203-metre-high natural draft cooling tower with a 16,800 square metre water-spraying area.