New nuclear power unit starts operation in China's Guangxi

Photo taken on May 23, 2018 shows the installation site of a hemispherical dome at the No. 3 unit of Fangchenggang nuclear power station in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.)

NANNING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A new nuclear power unit using Hualong One, a domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor, was put into operation in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday, paving the way for commercial operation.

With the operation of the No.3 unit of the Fangchenggang nuclear power station in the port city of Fangchenggang, the China General Nuclear Power Corporation currently has 27 nuclear power units in operation, with an installed capacity of more than 30.56 million kW.

The operation of the No.3 unit further verified the safety and maturity of the Hualong One technology, said Mei Jun, chairman of Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.

The project will significantly promote economic and social development and green transformation in Guangxi as the region is building a coastal clean power supply base, Mei said.

The Fangchenggang nuclear power project will have six nuclear power units in total. The first two units became operational in 2016, having generated over 100 billion kWh of electricity.

Each of the second two units, using the Hualong One technology, can produce nearly 10 billion kWh of electricity annually.

It is estimated that after the first and second phases of the Fangchenggang nuclear power project are completed, the annual power generation can meet 5.87 million people's annual demand for power while reducing the consumption of standard coal by over 10.4 million tonnes, and cutting the carbon dioxide emission by about 28.56 million tonnes every year, said Mei.