The Lufeng nuclear power plant in China’s Guangdong province just hit a big milestone – the first safety-related concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Unit 1. It’s the third reactor to kick off construction at this site, which is set to grow into a six-unit powerhouse down the line.
China General Nuclear (CGN) announced that the concrete went down at 11:36 on February 24. They’re calling it the green light for the unit’s main build and the full-on launch of the twin third-generation reactors in the Guangdong Lufeng Nuclear Power Project. A pretty exciting moment, if you ask me!
Back in September 2014, China’s National Development and Reform Commission gave the thumbs-up to build four 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors – Units 1 through 4 – at Lufeng. But Units 1 and 2 didn’t get the final nod from the State Council until August 19 of last year. Units 3 and 4 are still waiting for their go-ahead. For the uninitiated, the CAP1000 is China’s take on the Westinghouse AP1000 design.
Then there’s Units 5 and 6, which are a different story. In April 2022, the State Council okayed two Hualong One units for the site. Concrete started flowing for Unit 5 on September 8, 2022, and for Unit 6 on August 26, 2023 – they’re already well underway.
CGN says that once all six units are up and running, Lufeng will churn out around 52 TWh of power. That’s enough to cut nearly 16 million tonnes of standard coal use and slash carbon dioxide emissions by over 42 million tonnes. Numbers like that make you think about the bigger picture, don’t they?
