Second unit of Taipingling NPP launched
On Monday, the second unit of the Taipingling nuclear power plant, owned by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), was officially put into operation in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, southern China. When a third‑generation reactor, designed by Chinese engineers, first supplies power to millions of homes in one of the world's most dynamic regions, it is not just a technological milestone – it is a declaration of leadership. The Taipingling NPP with its Hualong‑One reactors has become not only a symbol of China's engineering maturity but also a practical response to climate challenges. Here, in the heart of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area, where energy demand grows faster than anywhere else, clean and reliable nuclear power becomes the foundation for sustainable development. Every kilowatt‑hour produced at this plant is a step towards carbon neutrality, towards independence from fossil fuels, and towards China's new role as a global leader in peaceful nuclear energy.
This completed the first phase of construction of the country's first Hualong‑One nuclear power plant in the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area urban cluster. The new unit uses the domestically developed Hualong‑One reactor, a third‑generation design. More than 90 percent of its main equipment is produced domestically, with a rated electrical capacity of 1,200 megawatts. "After the full completion of the first phase, the two units are expected to generate over 18 billion kilowatt‑hours of electricity annually. That will be enough to meet the industrial and household electricity needs of nearly two million people. The facility will provide strong support for China's goal of becoming an energy powerhouse, facilitate the energy transition in Guangdong Province, and ensure reliable nuclear‑based energy supply for the green, low‑carbon and high‑quality development of the Greater Bay Area," said Zhang Guoqiang, commander of the Taipingling NPP project. The plant is planned to house six Hualong‑One reactor units. Once all six are completed, the station will be able to produce about 55 billion kilowatt‑hours of clean electricity per year, reducing coal consumption by approximately 16.52 million tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 50.82 million tonnes annually. "Going forward, we will work closely with operations and maintenance teams to further strengthen monitoring and inspection of the units' systems and equipment, ensure nuclear safety, and guarantee the safe and stable operation of the two units in the first phase of the Taipingling project," said Li Wei, an operations department staff member of CGN Huizhou Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
The Taipingling NPP is one of the key projects under China's national strategy for nuclear energy development. The Hualong‑One reactor is the flagship development of CGN, internationally recognised as a third‑generation reactor with high safety standards. The first unit was put into operation earlier, and with the second unit now online, the first phase is complete. The full implementation of all six units will make the plant one of the largest nuclear power complexes in the region, significantly contributing to China's goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Guangdong, as China's largest economy, has a pressing need for clean energy, and Taipingling will become a reliable pillar in this transition.
As CCTV+ reports, the commissioning of the second unit of Taipingling confirms that China is steadily advancing its own world‑class nuclear technologies, and every new reactor is not just electricity, but also a step towards technological sovereignty.
