The new nuclear power unit of "Hualong One" has been put into commercial operation

According to the website of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on January 2nd, China's rapidly developing nuclear power industry has crossed an important milestone on New Year's Day 2025. The first nuclear power unit of a large nuclear power plant located on the southeast coast has officially entered commercial operation

The nuclear power plant located in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province will become the largest nuclear facility utilizing the "Hualong One" technology - China's third-generation nuclear power technology, with plans to build six million kilowatt "Hualong One" nuclear power units

The report states that in recent years, China has attempted to reduce its dependence on foreign technology and increase clean energy production capacity, investing heavily in the development of nuclear energy

Hualong One "is a third-generation nuclear power technology with complete independent intellectual property rights in China. Each nuclear power unit of Hualong One generates over 10 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which can meet the annual production and living electricity needs of one million people in moderately developed countries. At the same time, it is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 3.12 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 8.16 million tons annually

The report also stated that China is one of the countries that has achieved commercial operation of third-generation nuclear power units. Compared with the previous model, the third-generation nuclear power units have improved fuel utilization and enhanced safety

Some third-generation nuclear power projects in China use AP1000 units developed by Westinghouse Electric Company in the United States, but in recent years, "Hualong One" has become the main technology used in China

The report also stated that China hopes to establish a good safety record while launching more "Hualong One" nuclear power units domestically, and begin exporting this technology to the world. Pakistan is currently building the "Hualong One" nuclear power unit

The report points out that China is currently the world's largest consumer of coal-fired power and emitter of greenhouse gases. But it is attempting to gradually phase out some coal-fired power plants as the country has set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060

China is building nuclear power plants along its coastline: As of December 2024, there are a total of 102 nuclear power units in operation and approved for construction nationwide. In 2024, 11 units of 5 projects in China were approved

A work conference of the National Energy Administration of China in December 2024 emphasized that by 2025, China will actively and safely develop nuclear power in an orderly manner

In China's energy structure, the proportion of nuclear energy is lower than that of solar and wind energy. But China plans to increase its efforts in nuclear energy

According to a report by the German newspaper "S ü ddeutsche Zeitung" on January 2nd, China's nuclear energy is flourishing at an unprecedented speed today

Anders Hoff, a China expert at the Oxford Energy Institute, said, "China has unique social and political conditions to promote the construction of nuclear power plants." While the West is still negotiating and demonstrating, China's construction is already underway

Hof believes that there is another understandable reason for China's enthusiasm for nuclear power. In order to achieve the ambitious environmental goals promised by the country, nuclear power is considered crucial in China

The Chinese nuclear thermal wave is not only reflected in the construction of nuclear power plants, but also in nuclear research. Jacob Buongjiaorno, a professor of nuclear science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, "China is currently the world market leader in the field of nuclear energy." China invests far more in nuclear energy research every year than the United States. Beijing is striving to further expand its position as a world market leader, making its nuclear power an export product in the medium to long term