(Yicai Global) March 22 -- China National Nuclear Corp announced this morning that the first tank of concrete (FCD) was poured on the nuclear island of Unit 4 of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in east China’s Zhejiang province. It thus became the first nuclear power unit to start construction in China this year.

The Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 is a third-generation nuclear power unit using CAP1000 technology, with a rated capacity of 1.251 million kilowatts (1,250MW) per unit and a designed operating life of 60 years. After it is completed, the project’s annual power generation is expected to reach 10 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 7.5 million tons.

CNNC’s announcement said that the construction of nuclear power plants is conducive to enhancing the design, manufacturing and application of domestically produced equipment. It pointed to the more than 10 state-owned enterprises and over 40 private enterprises that are supplying equipment for Unit 4 of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant.

Several nuclear power industry insiders also told Yicai Global that the manufacturing of nuclear power equipment can better improve localization capacity and drive the development of a large number of related industries in metallurgy, electromechanical and manufacturing.

China’s nuclear power construction is entering a stage of rapid development, with the country approving the construction of 10 third-generation nuclear power units last year alone, the highest number of approvals in more than a decade.

According to Yang Changli, chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group, the existing nuclear power portfolio in operation and under construction in mainland China has an installed capacity of 81 million kilowatts.

But under carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, the installed capacity of nuclear power in operation needs to reach at least 150 million kilowatts in 2030 and 380 million kilowatts in 2050, Yang said earlier this month.

“So, China must maintain the rate of approving more than 10 nuclear power units every year for the next 10 years.”

Editors: Tang Shihua, Peter Thomas