Unit 5 of CNNC's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, China’s first HPR1000 (Hualong 1) nuclear power plant, successfully completed the installation of a rotor inside its generator on May 28, marking a major step toward the next phase of the plant’s tests.

Future tasks scheduled include testing its turning gear, as well as checking the whole unit’s thermal performance.

Produced by Dongfang Electric Machinery Co, the rotor weighs 240 tons, with its maximum diameter reaching 2.15 meters.

The generator’s main parts include a stator, rotor, end cap and bearings. Among them, the installation of the rotor is the most critical part of its assembly. The rotor has to be put into the stator core, which has a diameter of 2.15 meters, with a minimum piercing clearance of just 58 millimeters.