Hualong One nuclear power base, which is apparently the world’s largest, went on to officially complete its Phase I project on January 01, 2026, after the No. 2 Unit of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant went on to enter commercial operation. It indeed marks a major step in the large-scale rollout of the independently developed third-generation nuclear power technology from China, reported China Central Television – CCTV.
The progress goes on to mark a significant step forward when it comes to the large-scale deployment of independently developed third-generation nuclear power technology from China, analysts confirmed.
On January 1, 2026, the No. 2 Unit of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant located in the Fujian Province of East China had successfully passed the 168-hour full-power continuous operation test and was officially put into its commercial operation, as per the CCTV report. With both units of Phase I now online, the project has gone on to move from the construction phase into operation.
After the commissioning of the first two units, the base is anticipated to generate 20 billion kilowatt-hours when it comes to clean electricity per year, which is equivalent to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by almost 16 million tons every year.
Hualong One from China is completely independent third-generation nuclear technology and has gone on to obtain the European Utility Requirements certification and also passed the UK Generic Design Assessment.
It is a third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear technology that has been developed as well as designed by China, having complete proprietary intellectual property rights, and is broadly regarded as a landmark in the push by the country to move from being a major nuclear power producer to a leading nuclear power country.
Notably, a single Hualong One unit can go on to generate almost 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, thereby decreasing the carbon dioxide emissions by around 8.16 million tonnes, which is equivalent to cutting over 3 million tonnes of standard coal consumption every year.
The Hualong One has gone on to become the third-generation nuclear power technology having the largest number of reactors in operation and under construction across the world, highlighting the growing strength of China when it comes to nuclear technology and its overall competitiveness as far as the global nuclear industry is concerned.
Interestingly, the Zhangzhou plant goes on to serve as the starting point when it comes to large-scale deployment of Hualong One technology and is the largest nuclear power base in the world, which is built around a domestically developed reactor, having a total of six Hualong One units that are planned.
It was unit 1 of the Zhangzhou plant that entered commercial operation on January 1, 2025, and as of December 24, 2025, its per-year power generation went beyond 10 billion kilowatt-hours, as per the official data.
Once completed fully, the Zhangzhou nuclear power base is anticipated to supply almost 60 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year, thereby prominently enhancing the power structure of Fujian Province and also enabling the optimization of the north-to-south electricity transmission pattern of the province.