Hualong One: Zhangzhou unit 3 finishes its inner containment dome, Zhaoyuan 1 and 2 move ahead
Victoria Shinder1 min readTwo Chinese Hualong One (HPR1000) projects reported construction milestones, World Nuclear News wrote on 6 October.
Zhangzhou 3, Fujian. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said the last batch of concrete for the inner containment dome of unit 3 was poured on 30 September, completing civil construction of the inner containment structure. Next come prestressed containment work and installation of core nuclear equipment. The Hualong One has a double-layered containment building.
Unit 3's construction began in February 2024 and unit 4's in September 2024, after the State Council approved them as Phase II in September 2022; the inner steel dome was installed on unit 3 in early February. Units 1 and 2 entered commercial operation on 1 January 2025 and 1 January 2026. Two more units are proposed; a six-unit plant would provide more than 60 billion kWh a year.
Zhaoyuan 1 and 2, Shandong. China General Nuclear (CGN) said the first phase has entered its peak civil construction period. Concrete for "the inner five layers and outer one layer" of unit 1's reactor building is complete, and unit 2 has had its first concrete pours for the nuclear island, conventional island and cooling tower. First concrete was poured for unit 1 in November 2025 and for unit 2 on 5 September 2026.
The plant is to house six Hualong One units, 7.2 GWe in total and about 50 TWh a year, at an investment of about CNY120 billion (US$16.9 billion). CGN expects each unit to start generating 50–60 months after construction starts. Zhaoyuan is the first Chinese nuclear plant to use secondary-circulation seawater cooling with natural-draft cooling towers: each unit gets a 203-metre tower, moving the conventional island's direct cooling source from the ocean to the atmosphere.