Unit 5 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, developed by China National Nuclear Corporation [Photo/official WeChat account of CNNC]

The process of loading nuclear fuel into Unit 5 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), started on Sept 4, with a license for operation from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued on the same day. 

Unit 5 is the world's first pilot project to use China's indigenous third-generation nuclear power technology Hualong One, also known as HPR1000.

With the smooth entry of the first group of fuel assemblies into the reactor, the unit has entered the nuclear commissioning stage of the process and has taken an important step towards completion.

As a third-generation nuclear power technology with completely independent intellectual property rights in China, Hualong One innovatively uses 177 fuel assemblies as reactor cores, which reduces the core power density and improves the design safety level. 

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the fuel loading of Hualong One, the construction team fully considered the differences in the layout and quantity of Hualong One's core fuel assemblies, carried out loading exercises, optimized the loading sequence, and ensured that the loading was safe and controllable. 

Unit 5 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant [Photo/official WeChat account of CNNC]

Units No 1-4 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, developed by CNNC, were fully put into commercial operation on Sept 17, 2017.

The four units have generated more than 130 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in total. Compared with fossil-fuel energy of the same scale, it is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 40.32 million tons and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 105.44 million tons, which is equivalent to 293,000 hectares of afforestation.

Units 5 and 6 have both adopted China's independent third-generation nuclear power technology Hualong One, and began construction on May 7 and Dec 22, 2015, respectively. 

Unit 5 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant [Photo/official WeChat account of CNNC]