Around the May Day holiday, the Hualong One nuclear power projects in Hainan and Guangdong made major progress, moving closer to grid connection and commercial operations.

On April 30, China’s energy giant, Huaneng Group, announced that Unit 3 of Phase II of the Huaneng Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Project, the first Hualong One nuclear power plant in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), had obtained an operating license from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and started loading its first batch of nuclear fuel.

Before a newly constructed nuclear power plant begins supplying electricity to the grid, it typically undergoes several phases: initial preparation, civil construction, equipment installation, and commissioning. The commissioning process includes critical steps such as cold testing, hot testing, fuel loading, and grid connection, functioning as a comprehensive inspection of the plant.

Fuel loading is a key step that marks the shift from non-nuclear tests to actual nuclear testing. It is a crucial milestone before connecting to the grid and starting commercial operations, involving the placement of new nuclear fuel assemblies into the reactor pressure vessel.

Following fuel loading, the unit must pass several tests, including achieving reactor criticality, connecting to the grid, and operating at 50% and 87%, and even higher power levels. It must then complete 168 hours of full-power trials before it can be officially put into commercial service.

The Phase II Changjiang Nuclear Power Project, covering Units 3 and 4, is the largest power investment initiative launched since the construction of the Hainan FTP began. It involves constructing two 1.2-million-kilowatt Hualong One nuclear reactors. Once operational, it is expected to generate 18 billion kilowatt-hours annually, saving 6.326 million tons of standard coal and reducing CO₂ emissions by 11.68 million tons each year. Public data indicates that the total investment for the project is 39.45 billion yuan.

As of the end of March this year, clean energy made up over 85% of both installed power capacity and electricity generation in Hainan. Project developers forecast that nuclear power will constitute over 50% of Hainan’s energy mix next year, positioning the region as having the second-largest share of nuclear power globally, after France.

On May 3, China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) announced the successful loading of the first nuclear fuel into Unit 2 of the Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Project.

As the first Hualong One nuclear power facility in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and CGN’s flagship project for large-scale development of Hualong One reactors, the Taipingling Nuclear Power Project aims to install six reactor units. Unit 1 finished its 168-hour trial on April 19 this year and has now met the criteria for commercial operation. Unit 2 started construction on October 15, 2020, and completing its first fuel loading is a significant milestone toward full operation for the Phase I project. Construction of Unit 3 in Phase II began in June 2025, while early preparations for Phase III are now underway.

Once all six units are operational, the Taipingling Nuclear Power Base is projected to produce over 55 billion kWh of electricity annually, generate more than 20 billion yuan in green GDP, decrease standard coal use by roughly 16.65 million tons, and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 50.82 million tons each year.