China approves four more nuclear units. Projects under construction exceed 31 GW

China’s State Council has approved the construction of four more Hualong One nuclear reactors. Two new units each will be built at the existing Taipingling plant and the new Jinqimen plant. Construction is expected to take around 5 years. China currently has more than 31 GW of new nuclear capacity under construction and is targeting 200 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2035.

In China, construction will begin on four more nuclear reactors of the Hualong One type, each with an installed capacity of 1090 MW. The State Council approved construction of two units at the Taipingling and Jinqimen plants at the end of the year.

Units 3 and 4 will be built at the Taipingling plant in Guangdong Province as the project’s second phase. As part of the first phase, China General Nuclear (CGN) began construction of the first two units in 2019 and 2020. Taipingling is planned to consist of three phases and a total of 6 nuclear reactors.

China has also approved the start of construction of the new Jinqimen nuclear power plant in Zhejiang Province. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is responsible for construction and operation at the site. The company expects the first unit to begin operating at the end of 2028. Like Taipingling, Jinqimen is expected to have 6 nuclear reactors once all phases are complete.

In 2023, the country approved the construction of a total of 10 nuclear reactors, matching the number approved in 2022.

A massive nuclear build-out

In recent years, China has been accelerating nuclear reactor construction to meet the country’s growing electricity demand while also achieving its climate goals. It currently has reactors with an installed capacity of more than 55 GW, which generated 418 TWh of electricity in 2022.

According to Enerdata, a further 31 GW is under construction in the country, with 176 GW in the planning stage. In 2021, CGN presented the country’s plan to have 200 GW of installed nuclear capacity in operation or under construction by 2035.

Milestones reached on projects under construction

In addition to the new projects, CGN and CNNC have recently announced important milestones at projects under construction.

At the end of December 2023, engineers began cold functional tests on the first unit at the Taipingling plant. CNNC installed the inner containment dome on Unit 4 at the Changjiang plant and the outer dome on Unit 2 at Zhangzhou. Before the end of the year, Unit 3 at the Sanmen plant was fitted with its reactor pressure vessel.