On Saturday, November 22, 2025, Unit 2 of the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant was successfully connected to the state grid, marking a milestone for the world's largest Hualong-1 base in Zhangzhou, southeast Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland.
Hualong-1, the Chinese mainland's independently developed third-generation reactor design, aims to drive the mass-scale application of homegrown nuclear technology. Construction of Unit 2 began in September 2020, and the reactor completed its first fuel loading in October 2025.
Next up are a series of planned tests to verify performance and ensure safety standards before the unit enters commercial operation. Unit 1, already in service, has generated more than 8.8 billion kilowatt-hours since its launch, according to Mei Bingyun, chief engineer at China National Nuclear Corporation Zhangzhou Energy Co., Ltd.
Once the Zhangzhou facility is fully built, it will host six million-kilowatt-class reactors with a combined capacity of about 7.2 million kilowatts. Each unit is expected to produce over 10 billion kilowatt-hours of carbon-free electricity annually, bolstering the Chinese mainland's low-carbon energy transition.
This reactor milestone isn't just about gigawatts; it's a showcase of homegrown innovation scaling up to meet global climate goals and power the future of clean energy.
Reference(s):
New unit of world's largest nuclear reactor base connects to grid
cgtn.com
