China begins construction of second CAP1000 nuclear unit at Bailong plant

A new Chinese nuclear unit at Bailong power plant has reached an important milestone. Technicians officially began construction of the CAP1000 reactor unit with the first concrete pour at the site. The new 1250 MW unit is expected to enter commercial operation within 5 years. China plans to build another 4 CAP1400 (Guohe One) units at Bailong. Once completed, the plant’s installed capacity will exceed 8.5 GW. 

Chinese energy company State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) announced that it had officially begun construction of the second unit at Bailong nuclear power plant. The first concrete pour for the reactor building is considered the official start of construction of a nuclear unit. At Bailong 2, the process took just under 39 hours, and construction workers used 1 732 cubic metres of concrete.

“During the concrete pour, the project team carefully monitored compliance with process standards and continuously strengthened supervision and control. It also established a safety exclusion zone to ensure the safe and high-quality completion of the first concrete pour for the conventional island,” SPIC said.

The Chinese government approved construction of the first pair of reactors at Bailong, along with 9 other reactors, in December 2024. Construction of the second CAP1000 unit follows that of the first unit, which technicians began building in December last year. The estimated investment in the pair of units, with a combined installed capacity of around 2.5 GW (gross), is approximately 40 billion Chinese yuan (roughly 123.5 billion Czech koruna). SPIC plans to bring the units into operation within 5 years of construction starting and estimates their annual electricity generation at 20 TWh.

“Completion of the first concrete pour for the conventional island of the second unit is a key engineering milestone in the construction of Bailong nuclear power plant. It lays a solid foundation for subsequent construction and strongly supports the project’s overall efficient progress,” SPIC added.

Guohe One reactors to follow

China plans to build a total of 6 nuclear reactors at Bailong nuclear power plant. The first two use CAP1000 reactors, the Chinese version of Westinghouse’s US AP1000 reactors. The remaining four units will use CAP1400 reactors (also known as Guohe One), with an installed capacity of 1500 MW, for which SPIC holds full intellectual property rights.

China brought the first pair of these reactors into operation at Shidaowan power plant in 2025. However, compared with Hualong One, another Chinese reactor design developed by CGN and CNNC, Guohe One is far behind in the number of planned units.