(Yicai) April 21 -- China General Nuclear Power, a state-owned atomic and clean energy developer, has put the first Hualong One nuclear power unit in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into operation.

Unit 1 of the Taipingling nuclear power plant in Huizhou has been connected to the grid, CGN announced late yesterday. It can generate more than nine billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to meet the needs of a city of more than one million residents in the Greater Bay Area, the Shenzhen-based firm added.

The Greater Bay Area is one of China’s most economically vibrant and open regions, with a relentless need for stable, clean, and efficient energy supply.

The new unit, built by CGN subsidiary CGN Huizhou Nuclear Power, completed all commissioning work and met the conditions for commercial operation on April 19, the firm said. It has finished all performance tests and passed the 168-hour full-power continuous operation assessment, CGN Huizhou Chairman Zhang Guoqiang told Yicai, adding that all parameters are normal and stable.

CGN’s shares [SHE: 003816] closed 1.8 percent higher at CNY4.57 (67 US cents) each in Shenzhen today. The stock has climbed 22 percent since the end of last year.

CGN has plans for six Hualong One units at Taipingling. When fully operational, total annual power output will likely exceed 55 billion kWh, equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by about 16.7 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by about 50.8 million tons a year.

The Taipingling project will be built in three phases. Unit 2 of the first phase and Unit 3 of the second are under construction, while the other units are still in preparation.

With the launch of Taipingling Unit 1, CGN now has 29 atomic power units in operation with a total capacity of 33.04 gigawatts. It also has 19 under construction that will be able to produce 23.02 GW, with all but two adopting the Hualong One technology, China's own third-generation nuclear reactor design.

China’s capacity to generate electricity from nuclear power continues is growing steadily. Across the country, the total of operating, under-construction, and approved nuclear units has reached 112, with 125 GW of capacity. The number of operational units should increase to 70 by the end of this year.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev