China's Greater Bay Area's first Hualong One nuclear power unit starts operation

The first Hualong One nuclear power unit in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area officially entered commercial operation on Monday, as Unit 1 of the CGN Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Project began generating electricity.

The newly commissioned unit achieved multiple key technological breakthroughs and completed 26 major design upgrades. It also marked the simultaneous completion and handover of both the physical plant and its integrated digital system.

The unit is expected to generate more than 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the yearly power needs of around one million residents in the Greater Bay Area.

Zhang Guoqiang, chief commander of CGN Huizhou Nuclear Power Project, said the clean energy output is equivalent to reducing about 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year, or adding around 20,000 hectares of forest.

Unit 1 has completed all performance tests and passed a 168-hour full-power continuous operation assessment, with all systems operating normally and stably.

The Taipingling Nuclear Power Project plans to build six Hualong One units in three phases. Once fully completed, the project is expected to generate more than 55 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, cut standard coal consumption by about 16.65 million tonnes, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 50.82 million tonnes each year.

Construction of follow-up units is progressing steadily. Unit 2 of Phase I is set to begin first fuel loading soon. Unit 3 of Phase II began construction in June 2025, while preparatory work for Phase III is underway.