Construction of CAP1000 nuclear plant began last year
China has installed the second ring of the steel containment for the Lufeng-1 nuclear power plant in the southern province of Guangdong, local sources said.
Lufeng-1 will be a Generation III, 1,161-MW CAP1000 pressurised water reactor (PWR), China’s indigenous version of US-based Westinghouse’s AP1000 design.
Construction began in February 2025 with pouring first concrete for the nuclear island foundation slab.
At a nuclear reactor, the inner containment is a critical safety component, designed to prevent radioactive leakage into the environment in the event of an emergency.
For Lufeng-1, the inner containment will consist of two dome-shaped segments for the bottom and top sections and three steel rings to make the main cylindrical shell of the structure.
Four CAP1000 units are planned at the Lufeng site. Construction of Lufeng-2 began in December 2025. Construction of the two additional units, Lufeng-3 and Lufeng-4, has not yet begun.
Two domestic Hualong One PWR units are also under construction at the site. Construction of Lufeng-5 began in September 2022 and Lufeng-6 in August 2023.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s database of nuclear plants in China says China has 60 plants in commercial operation and 35 under construction, but the actual number is 37 including the recent Taipingling-4 and Jinqimen-2.
About half of those under construction are domestic Hualong One units and nine are CAP1000 units.
