China Approves Eight New Nuclear Power Units with Total Investment Exceeding 170 Billion Yuan

In 2026, approvals for new domestic nuclear power projects commenced. According to a report on Xinwen Lianbo on July 31, the State Council executive meeting held that day decided to approve four nuclear power projects, including the first phase of the Zhuanghe project in Liaoning. The meeting pointed out that nuclear power units must be constructed and operated in accordance with the highest global safety standards, strengthening safety supervision across the entire chain and all fields to ensure absolute nuclear safety.

The Paper has exclusively verified through multiple sources that the new projects approved at the State Council executive meeting include the second phase of the Jinqimen Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang (Units 3 and 4), the third phase of the Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong (Units 5 and 6), the first phase of the Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Plant in Liaoning (Units 1 and 2), and the first phase of the Laiyang Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong (Units 1 and 2), totaling eight new units. Nuclear power engineering has always been a significant driver for expanding effective investment. According to estimates by The Paper, the total investment in the aforementioned new projects will exceed 170 billion yuan.

New nuclear power projects this year continue to maintain a normalized approval pace. From 2022 to 2025, China approved ten or more nuclear power units annually for four consecutive years.

Nuclear power generation provides a realistic option for supplying electricity in a safe, efficient, and clean manner, while also addressing environmental and climate change issues. As the high proportion of intermittent renewable energy connected to the grid increases pressure on regulation and absorption, nuclear power, with its high energy density and role in providing base load, can compensate for the volatility shortcomings of renewable energy, providing strong support for the safe and stable operation of the power grid. For many years, China's operational and under-construction nuclear power capacity has continued to lead globally. For coastal economic provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong, and Zhejiang, nuclear power projects are particularly significant in supporting their sustained economic growth and energy demand.

According to The Paper, the three major state-owned nuclear power enterprises—CNNC, CGN Power, and SPIC—all had new projects approved this time. Notably, the Zhuanghe and Laiyang projects are located at new nuclear power plant sites. For the Jinqimen and Taipingling projects, the upgraded Hualong One 2.0 version has been officially implemented.

Jinqimen, located in Xiangshan, Ningbo, is the fourth nuclear power base established in Zhejiang Province, following Qinshan in Jiaxing, Sanmen in Taizhou, and San'ao in Wenzhou. The overall plan involves constructing six nuclear power units in three phases. Upon full completion, it will provide strong support for energy and power supply guarantees and green low-carbon transformation in Zhejiang Province and the Yangtze River Delta region. The second phase of the Jinqimen Nuclear Power Project plans to construct two Hualong One 2.0 pressurized water reactor units. This is also a nuclear power project with private capital participation: its owner, CNNC (Xiangshan) Nuclear Energy Co., Ltd., is controlled by CNNC Zheneng Energy Co., Ltd., with shareholdings from Youngor Group, Ningbo Riyue Group, and Alibaba-affiliated enterprises.

The third phase of the Taipingling Nuclear Power Project is located in Huidong County, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, and is the first demonstration project for CGN Power's Hualong One 2.0. In 2025, Guangdong's total societal electricity consumption reached 958.973 billion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 4.93%, ranking first nationwide. The Greater Bay Area has an urgent and continuous demand for stable, clean, and efficient energy supply. The Taipingling Nuclear Power Project plans to construct six Hualong One nuclear power units in three phases. Upon full completion, the annual power generation is expected to exceed 55 billion kWh.

Building on the independent third-generation nuclear power technology Hualong One, CNNC and CGN Power have continuously promoted design optimization and technological improvements, forming a more competitive integrated innovation solution known as Hualong One 2.0. This will become one of the main models for domestic nuclear power construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. The Jinqimen Phase II and Taipingling Phase III projects are key testing grounds for transitioning new technologies from the R&D stage to large-scale engineering application, laying the foundation for the subsequent large-scale construction of Hualong One 2.0.

During this year's National Two Sessions, Yang Changli, Chairman of CGN Power, stated in an interview with The Paper and other media that Hualong One 2.0 technology is safer, has a shorter construction cycle, and offers better economics. Meanwhile, CGN Power is also developing Hualong One 3.0, which further enhances safety and economics.

During the same period, Lu Tiezhong, Assistant General Manager of CNNC and Party Secretary and Chairman of CNNP, introduced to The Paper and other media that the Hualong One 2.0 version optimizes active and passive safety designs, with passive safety systems playing a dominant role, thereby providing greater safety assurance. Construction processes have been optimized to adopt modular construction. Additionally, intelligence levels have been improved, with further application of technologies including AI and digital nuclear power.

For Guohe One, another third-generation nuclear power technology with completely independent intellectual property rights in China, the Laiyang project is of extraordinary significance.

As the world's most powerful passive nuclear power unit, Guohe One has a single-unit power generation capacity of 1.534 million kilowatts. Led by SPIC, the R&D work for Guohe One officially started in 2008 and was completed over 12 years. In December 2024, the first unit of the Guohe One demonstration project, located in Rongcheng, Shandong, one of the national major science and technology special projects, began commercial operation. Also located in Shandong, the Laiyang Nuclear Power Plant plans to construct six Guohe One nuclear power units with a total investment of up to 128.3 billion yuan, marking the starting point for the large-scale and standardized construction of Guohe One. Upon full completion, Laiyang will become the nuclear power base with the largest installed capacity in the country.

The approved first phase of the Laiyang Nuclear Power Project will construct two Guohe One nuclear power units and their supporting facilities. In June 2022, the National Energy Administration agreed to carry out preliminary work for this project.

The Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Plant, located in Dalian, is a new site commenced in Liaoning Province following Hongyanhe and Xudabao, but it has a long history.

According to local records, the Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Project initiated site selection in 2006 and was successively included in the national nuclear power planning as a key site for argumentation, a protected site, and a candidate for commencement. In 2022, the agreement for the first phase was formally signed. In 2024, the minutes of the preliminary work symposium of the National Energy Administration were obtained, marking the substantial entry of the Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Plant into pre-construction preparations after 16 years of preliminary work.

The site plans to construct six Hualong One nuclear power units, with the first phase proposing to build two Hualong One units and their supporting auxiliary facilities. The first phase of the Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Project is owned by CNNC Datang Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., which is fully responsible for construction, commissioning, operation, and management. The company was jointly established by China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., China Datang Corporation Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., and Dalian State-owned Capital Management and Operation Co., Ltd.—marking another nuclear power station in which the large power generation central enterprise Datang Group has invested, following Ningde Nuclear Power and Xudabao Nuclear Power.

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