Huaneng Changjiang Unit 3 Becomes Hainan's First Hualong One Reactor in Commercial Operation

On September 17, Unit 3 of the Huaneng Changjiang nuclear power phase two project, Hainan's first Hualong One reactor, officially entered commercial operation. The phase two project is planned to include two nuclear units of 1.2 million kilowatts each, making it Hainan's largest power construction project currently. It uses the Hualong One third-generation pressurized water reactor technology, which is independently developed with Chinese intellectual property rights. When the project is fully completed, annual power generation is expected to reach 18 billion kilowatt-hours, saving more than 6.32 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 11.6 million tonnes each year.

The China Nuclear Power Development Report (2026) released by the National Energy Administration shows that nuclear power generation accounts for 18.5% of Hainan's total power generation. The 15th Five-Year Plan for Hainan National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone (Beautiful Hainan Construction 15th Five-Year Plan) proposes achieving the carbon peak target before 2030 as scheduled, with the share of non-fossil energy consumption striving to reach 35%. The plan also calls for developing offshore wind power at scale, exploring wind-solar co-location, building a number of offshore photovoltaic demonstration projects, and vigorously developing distributed photovoltaic power; developing nuclear power safely and in an orderly manner, promoting the completion and operation of the Changjiang nuclear phase two project and the Changjiang small reactor demonstration project, guiding nuclear power to participate in peak shaving, and advancing nuclear waste heat heating.

With Unit 3 in operation, the number of nuclear units in commercial operation in Hainan has reached three. The first two nuclear units entered commercial operation in December 2015 and August 2016, respectively. In October 2025, China's first central-local co-built implementation plan for a new power system on Hainan's clean energy island was officially released, specifying eight key projects and planning to basically complete a demonstration province for a clean energy island new power system by 2030. At present, the construction of Hainan's clean energy island continues to deepen, new energy has become Hainan's largest power source, and the market penetration rate and ownership share of new energy vehicles rank first and second, respectively, among provincial-level regions nationwide.