Hongyanhe-5 is a Generation III ACPR-1000 pressurised water reactor, construction of which began in March 2015. It becomes the 52nd commercial nuclear unit I China.
On 13 June, Hongyanhe-5 achieved first criticality, which means the plant achieved a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction for the first time.
There are five other units at the Hongyanhe site. Units 1 to 4 are of the CPR-1000 design and are commercially operational. Unit 6, another ACPR-1000, is under construction since 2015. CNEA said Unit 6 was currently undergoing final testing and is expected to begin commercial operation in 2022.
CGN said it now has 25 nuclear power reactors in commercial operation with a combined net generating capacity of more than 28,000 MW. It said the five Hongyanhe units are expected to meet about 15% of electricity demand in Liaoning province.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency statistics, China has 51 nuclear units in commercial operation with 48,000 MW of net capacity, although the agency has not yet included Hongyanhe-5 in this total. Thirteen plants are under construction.
In 2020, China’s nuclear fleet produced 4.9% of the country’s electricity, the IAEA said.
