On Oct 24, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced that Unit 3 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in Fujian province met the conditions for commercial operation after a test lasting for 168 hours.

The CNNC’s Fuqing nuclear power plant now houses three units for power generation and commercial operation, with a total installed capacity of 3.27 million kilowatts and a generating capacity of over 70 million kilowatt-hours per day.

Under the regular operation of three units, the Fuqing power plant is expected to generate an on-grid electricity capacity of about 20 billion kilowatt-hours within a year.

The CNNC plans to eventually construct six nuclear power units, with a capacity of generating million kilowatts each, at the Fuqing nuclear power station. The Fuqing plant has been recognized as the largest nuclear power project under construction in the west side of Taiwan Straits. The first four units are designed with the technology of the advanced second-generation pressurized water reactors, and designers learned from domestic experience in constructing the same type of power plants.

During the building project, the Fuqing station has improved 25 crucial technologies and further promotes the security level of nuclear power units. Units 5 and 6 take the third-generation pressurized water reactors HPR1000, China’s self-developed nuclear power technology. 

The Fuqing nuclear power plant began construction in November 2008, and Units 1 and 2 entered commercial operation in November 2014 and October 2015 respectively. Ground was broken for Unit 3 in December 2010 and it was first connected to the grid in September this year.

According to the CNNC, Unit 4 is being debugged and tested, with a scheduled completion sometime in 2017. Beginning in May and December of 2015, the Units 5 and 6 have been under fluent construction.

With the construction of these six units, the Fuqing nuclear power plant will benefit the local economy and improve the environment in the long run.