China's homegrown nuclear tech has hit a major milestone as the first Hualong One reactor in Hainan has been connected to the grid. 

The reactor, Unit 3 of the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant, began feeding power to the grid on Saturday. 

It is the first of two Hualong One reactors on site. Once fully operational, the two units will generate 18 billion kilowatt-hours annually while cutting coal use by over 6.3 million tonnes and carbon emissions by about 11.6 million tonnes a year. 

The project, developed by China Huaneng Group, is expected to be fully operational in early 2027.