The Unit 7 reactor of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, which is developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and is located in East China's Jiangsu province, successfully completed cold functional testing on July 23, marking its full transition from installation phase to commissioning phase.

This milestone has set the basis for the safe and orderly commissioning of subsequent units.

The cold functional test, which is a major integrated commissioning test for nuclear power plants, serves as the first comprehensive assessment of reactor performance. It is mainly designed to verify the functionality of the systems, equipment and auxiliary pipelines under high pressure, ensuring safe and stable operation in subsequent stages.

The Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled to build eight reactor units. With Units 1 to 6 being already in operation, the station has generated more than 480 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity — equivalent to the annual consumption of 130 million households and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 384 million tons. The Units 7 and 8 are expected to come into commercial operation in 2026 and 2027 respectively. After their completion, the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant will have an installed capacity of 9 million kilowatts, delivering more than 70 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually — enough to reduce the country's carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 57.4 million tons each year.

Meanwhile, the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant has expanded from power generation into integrated nuclear energy use, striking a balance between economic development and environmental conservation.

It has been a year since the CNNC's "Heqi No 1" steam supply project was in operation. It has delivered more than 3.17 million tons of clean steam, equivalent to saving 264,200 tons of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 706,600 tons. The project has reduced 462,300 tons of carbon footprint for Lianyungang Petrochemical Industrial Base. In the years ahead, the Jiangsu Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. will further push forward the development of green energy projects related to pumped storage hydropower, nuclear-powered hydrogen production and coastal photovoltaic development.