(Yicai) Nov. 19 -- China's biggest nuclear power company, China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), has started construction of the first Hualong One nuclear power unit equipped with a cooling tower, a system used to improve water efficiency and operational reliability.

CGN started construction of the first Hualong One project with a cooling tower yesterday, Yicai learned from the Shenzhen-based firm. Hualong One is China’s domestically developed third-generation nuclear reactor design.

The plant in Zhaoyuan, East China’s Shandong province, is CGN’s 10th domestic nuclear power project and will eventually host six Hualong One units capable of generating 50 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to meet the annual consumption of about five million people and cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 46.2 million tons.

Unit 1 features a natural ventilation cooling tower rising 203 meters with a water spray area of 16,800 square meters, applying secondary circulation cooling technology to a Hualong One unit for the first time, Yu Xiangdong, executive director of Shandong Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power under CGN, told Yicai.

A nuclear power plant usually consists of two parts: a nuclear island, where fission reactions occur, and a conventional island, which houses steam turbine generators and related systems to convert steam into electricity.

The tower shifts the conventional island’s direct cold source from seawater to air, allowing cooling water to be recycled, sharply reducing energy use, and enhancing cold-source safety, Yu added.

In addition to the natural ventilation tower, the plant also includes a mechanical ventilation cooling tower. Its large-capacity water pool can provide at least 30 days of cooling for the reactor without make-up water, further strengthening nuclear island protection, Yang Yazhang, deputy general manager of CGN Engineering, told Yicai.

Before the Zhaoyuan facility, the Lianjiang Nuclear Power Plant in South China’s Guangdong province, developed by State Power Investment Corporation, was the first project in China to use cooling tower technology. It adopts the CAP1000 reactor unit and is scheduled to begin operation in 2028.

China has accelerated nuclear power construction in recent years to support its carbon neutrality goals. Since 2022, the country has approved an average of 10 new nuclear units annually and now has 59 units in operation and 53 under construction, with total installed capacity exceeding 125 million kilowatts, ranking first globally, according to the National Energy Administration.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine