Unit 1 at the Sanao nuclear power station in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang has begun commercial operation, China General Nuclear (CGN) announced.
The unit is the first of six domestically-designed Hualong One (HPR1000) plants planned for the site, about 450 km to the south of Shanghai.
The 1,208 MW (net) pressurised water reactor (PWR) completed all commissioning works on 29 April 2026 and is qualified for commercial operation, CGN said on its website. The tests included a series of commissioning tests, including a test run lasting 168 hours.
CGN also announced this week that hot functional testing had been completed at the identical Sanao-2 unit.
Construction of Sanao-1 began in 2020 and of Sanao-2 in 2021. Construction of a third Hualong One unit, Sanao-3, began in 2025.
Sanao-1 achieved first criticality in February and was connected to the electricity grid in March. It has entered commercial operation five years and four months after first concrete was poured.
The Hualong One is an indigenous pressurised water reactor unit that incorporates elements of China National Nuclear Corporation’s ACP1000 and China General Nuclear’s ACPR1000+ reactor designs.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), China is aggressively expanding its nuclear power capacity to meet energy security and climate goals, targeting 110-200 GW of capacity by 2035 and becoming the world’s largest producer by 2030. The country currently has about 58 GW in operation and is aiming for a 2050 capacity of roughly 335 GW.
The IAEA says China has 60 commercial nuclear power plants in operation and 35 under construction, but the figure does not include the recent start of construction of Jinqimen-2, another domestic Hualong One PWR unit.
The Sanao nuclear power station site in China. Courtesy CGN.