Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 is under construction. /CMG
Construction started Wednesday for Unit 1 of China's northernmost nuclear power plant, Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant.
With a designed lifespan of 60 years, the plant has a capacity of 1,290 megawatts and is expected to be completed by 2028. It adopts a homegrown pressurized water reactor with third-generation technology, whose safety system reaches international standards.
The aerial view of the construction of Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, July 25, 2023. /CFP
Located in Xingcheng City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, the nuclear plant will be able to provide electricity to neighboring cities and it is close to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.
The project plans to build six units in total, each with a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts, with an investment outlay of over 100 billion yuan (about $13.8 billion).
Units 3 and 4 started construction in July 2021 and May 2022, respectively, and the project is running smoothly.
Once six units are completed, the nuclear plant will be able to provide over 54 terawatt-hours of clean electricity annually, saving about 19.2 million tonnes of coal. It will reduce 56.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission every year, equivalent to the amount that 360,000 hectares of forests can absorb.