China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) said on Friday its first Hualong One, a third-generation pressurised water nuclear reactor, has started operations and is connected to the grid.
The design, seen as competition to the Westinghouse-developed AP1000 and Europe’s EPR, is deployed in the 1,150-megawatt Fuqing Unit 5 in the southeastern province of Fujian, reports Reuters.
Hualong One is designed to have a 60-year lifespan and its reactor core needs refuelling every 18 months.
“(The successful grid connection) indicates that China has broken the monopoly of overseas nuclear technology and has officially become a country with advanced nuclear techniques,” CNNC said in a statement.
The second Hualong One at Fuqing, Unit 6, is scheduled for completion in 2021.
China currently has six overseas Hualong One projects under construction.
