The Hongyanhe plant is expected to have an annual generating capacity of 45 billion kilowatt-hours from all its six units
The Hongyanhe nuclear power plant comprises six reactors. (Credit: China General Nuclear Power Corporation)
Chinese state-owned firm Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power has started commercial operations of the sixth reactor of the 6.71GW Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Northeast China.
Following a trial run of 168 hours, Unit 6 of the nuclear power project was set for commercial operations, reported Global Times.
Hongyanhe is the first nuclear power plant in Northeast China region. It is also the largest operating nuclear power plant as of now in China.
The six unit-project was built in Donggang town, Wafangdian in the Liaoning province. The first unit was commissioned in 2013, followed by the second unit in 2014, the third unit in 2015, the fourth unit in 2016, and the fifth unit in 2021.
Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power is owned by China General Nuclear Power (CGN) and State Power Investment Corporation, each having a stake of 45%. The Dalian Municipal Construction Investment holds the remaining 10% ownership.
The Hongyanhe nuclear power plant was built in two phases, involving an estimated investment of around CNY75bn ($12.2bn). It is made up of six CPR-1000 pressurised water reactors (PWRs) with a rating of 1.08GW each.
In May 2022, China General Nuclear Power said that the power plant was connected successfully to the grid for the first time, which marks a key step towards achieving commercial operations. With the completion of Unit 6, the company has 26 nuclear power units that are capable of generating power.
The Hongyanhe nuclear power plant is expected to have an annual generating capacity of 45 billion kilowatt-hours from all its six units. This is equivalent to 1.5 times of the electricity consumed per year in Dalian.