China Is Building A Nuclear Power Plant The World Has Never Seen Before | World News

Beijing: China has started building the world’s first hybrid nuclear power plant. The project is being implemented in Lianyungang city of Jiangsu province in eastern China. Construction has started at the Xuwei Nuclear Power Plant site. This project is the first nuclear facility approved under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

The power plant brings together two different nuclear technologies in one complex. Hualong One combines a pressurized water reactor with a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. This pairing has not been tried anywhere in the world. The plant will generate electricity and also provide high-quality industrial steam.

Work on the site began on Friday with the concrete pouring of Nuclear Unit One. The project will be built in two stages. The first phase is currently being carried out. It includes two Hualong One units and one high-temperature gas-cooled reactor unit.

Hualong One reactors are based on China’s fully indigenous third-generation nuclear technology. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor uses fourth-generation nuclear technology. Together, they allow the facility to serve both power generation and industrial energy needs.

Once implemented, the project will greatly reduce fossil fuel use. Annual coal consumption is expected to decrease by approximately 7.26 million tons. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to decrease by approximately 19.6 million tons each year. The plant will support low-carbon development in the Lianyungang petrochemical base and surrounding industrial areas.

The project also signals a broader shift in China’s nuclear strategy that goes beyond just electricity generation. It falls into multi-purpose industrial use, including the supply of steam to heavy industries.

The first phase of the Xuwei Nuclear Power Plant is expected to become operational in 2032. The Hualong One reactor was developed by China General Nuclear Energy Group and China National Nuclear Corporation. The technology has received European Utility Requirements certification and passed the UK’s General Design Assessment process.

With this project, Beijing positions itself at the forefront of next-generation nuclear energy and industrial decarbonization.