CNNC's Hualong One demonstration project put into operation

Photo: Unit 5 and Unit 6 of the China National Nuclear Cooperation(CNNC)'s Fuqing nuclear power plant. (CNNC)

BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Unit 6 of the China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC)'s Fuqing nuclear power plant, the second unit of the Hualong One demonstration project, became ready for commercial operation on March 25, meaning that the company's Hualong One demonstration project has been completed and put into commercial operation.

This is one of the major achievement in China's nuclear power development, signaling that the country's nuclear power technology and comprehensive strength are at the forefront of the world.

It is also a landmark achievement in CNNC's commitment to safe and innovative development, helping achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, and building a community with a shared future for mankind in the field of nuclear energy.

Hualong One is CNNC's third-generation pressurized water nuclear reactor with full intellectual property rights and is one of the most widely accepted third-generation nuclear power reactors in the current market. It was developed and designed based on more than 30 years of experience in nuclear power research, design, manufacturing, construction, operation and management. The Hualong One reactor innovatively adopts a 177-core design and uses a combination of passive and active safety systems, meeting the highest international safety standards and being capable of mass production.

Units 5 and 6 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in east China's Fujian Province are the global Hualong One demonstration project.

The two units will generate approximately 20 billion kWh of electricity per year, which is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 6.24 million tons, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 16.32 million tons, or planting more than 140 million trees.

Hualong One has also driven the development of more than 5,300 enterprises in the upstream and downstream industry chains, bringing huge economic benefits and opportunities for transformation and upgrading of China's high-end equipment manufacturing industry. (Edited by Yang Yifan with Xinhua Silk Road, yangyifan@xinhua.org)