Hualong One, China's homegrown nuclear power reactor design, is recognized as one of the world's most advanced third-generation nuclear power units.

Two Hualong One demonstration projects, one in China's Fuqing City and the other in Pakistan's Karachi, were completed in 2022 and have been operating well since then.

Chinese engineers are now working to build Hualong One reactors in a faster and better way in Zhangzhou in southeast China's Fujian Province, so as to further improve its cost efficiency, quality and overall competitiveness. 

More Hualong One reactors to be built in Zhangzhou

Six Hualong One units, each with an installed capacity of over 1 million kilowatts, are set to be built at the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant. And additional sites are reserved for two more units.

The construction of Unit 1 started in October 2019 and that of Unit 2 began about a year later in September 2020. Unit 1 is scheduled to be completed by October next year, while Unit 2 will be finished by 2025.

The construction approval for Units 3 and 4 were granted in September 2022, which will commence later this year.

The whole project, scheduled to be completed by 2035, will be able to generate 72 billion kWh of electricity per year upon completion.

The project is owned and operated by CNNP Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, a company jointly created by China National Nuclear Power(CNNP) and CHN Energy Investment Group.

Faster, better construction through innovation

"From the very beginning of the construction of Zhangzhou Unit 1, we've been trying to improve the safety and quality management with higher requirements. We strive to build the nuclear power plant in a more efficient way, so as to increase its profit," Song Fengwei, general manager of CNNP Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Co. Ltd, told CGTN.

Song said in order to achieve the goal, his team has made significant progress in terms of technological innovations.

"A major aspect is modular construction. It refers to the assembly of prefabricated parts into complete structures within an off-site factory, before transporting them to the construction site and installing them on site," he elaborated.

This approach has helped improve the construction efficiency and quality significantly, he said.

Song's team has also optimized the construction procedures.

"For example, the main equipment was hoisted into the containment building of the reactor before the dome was placed, which is called the 'open top' technique," he said.

"Similar to building a house, the conventional way is to build the roof first before bringing in the furniture. Now we have changed the order, that is, to bring in the furniture before building the roof," he noted.

The major benefit of this approach is that the original sequential procedures of civil engineering and equipment installation are optimized to run parallel, thus greatly improving the efficiency of the construction, according to Song.

As the construction of the following units continues, Song expects the efficiency to be further improved and the cost to be further reduced.

"We have accumulated experience and validated the technology of Hualong One during the construction of the first units in China's Fuqing and Pakistan's Karachi. Starting from Zhangzhou Unit 1, we will draw upon our experience in the batch construction of Hualong One to offer reference for the future construction of nuclear power reactors," he said.  

(Video shot and edited by Zhao Yuxiang.)