China begins construction of new six-unit Jinqimen nuclear power plant

China has officially begun construction of another new nuclear power plant. At a ceremony, construction workers poured the first concrete for the Unit 1 building at the Jinqimen plant. Six Hualong One nuclear units, each with a capacity of 1200 MW, are planned for the site. Once completed, the plant will supply 55 TWh of low-emissions electricity to the grid each year. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the start of construction of the first unit using China’s Hualong One reactor design.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced that it had officially begun construction of the new Jinqimen nuclear power plant. During the groundbreaking ceremony on 10 August, the first concrete was poured for the Unit 1 building. CNNC received construction permits from Chinese authorities for the plant’s first two units in early August.

"We believe that the documents submitted with the application comply with the relevant national laws and regulations on nuclear safety, and that the design principles and activities related to the nuclear safety of Units 1 and 2 at the Jinqimen nuclear power plant meet the requirements of Chinese nuclear safety regulations," China's nuclear safety regulator said when issuing the construction permit.

The company plans to build and commission a total of 6 Hualong One nuclear units at Jinqimen. Once completed, the plant will have an installed capacity of 7.2 GW (gross) and is expected to generate 55 TWh of electricity annually. Jinqimen will be CNNC’s third nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province.

The State Council approved construction of the two units in the first phase at the end of 2023, and preparatory construction work began at the site early last year.

10th anniversary of Hualong One

This year, China marks the 10th anniversary of the start of construction of the first-ever Hualong One nuclear unit at the Fuqing plant (May 2015). Since then, the country has commissioned five reactors of this type on its territory and two more in Pakistan. A total of 15 Hualong One units, including Jinqimen Unit 1, are in various stages of construction (14 in China and 1 in Pakistan).

China’s Hualong One reactor design was developed through collaboration between two Chinese energy giants: CNNC and CGN (China General Nuclear Power Group). It is a three-loop pressurized water reactor, and its export version is designated HPR1000.

"Hualong One is a third-generation nuclear technology brand with fully independent intellectual property rights, developed by CNNC on the basis of more than 40 years of experience in nuclear technology research, design, manufacturing, construction and operation. It also represents Chinese technological solutions in nuclear power for the world. Over the past decade, we have made steady progress in the mass production of Hualong One," CNNC said in a press release.

China expects the standard construction time for a Hualong One unit to be five years. For units already in operation, the time between the official start of construction and connection to the grid has ranged from 5 to 7.5 years. In 2021, CNNC said it was working on an upgraded version of Hualong One, Hualong Two, which is expected to further reduce construction time to a target of 4 years. Although CNNC did not meet its announced 2024 deadline, the design is expected to be unveiled in the near future.