CGN Power Co Ltd announced that first concrete has been poured for the nuclear island of unit 1 at China’s Lufeng NPP in Guangdong province marking “the official start of the main project of the unit and the full start of construction. Unit 1 will have a CAP1000 reactor – the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000.
The proposed construction of four 1,250 MWe CAP1000 reactors (units 1-4) at the Lufeng site was approved by China’s National Development & Reform Commission in September 2014 but construction of units 1&2 did not receive State Council approval until 19 August 2024. Approval for units 3&4 is still pending.
The site will eventually host six units, two of which are already under construction. In April 2022 the State Council approved construction of two Hualong One units at Lufeng as units 5&6. First concrete for Lufeng 5 was poured the following September and for Lufeng 6 in August 2023. The two units are expected to be connected to the grid in 2028 and 2029. With all six units in operation, the plant will generate about 52 TWh, which will reduce standard coal consumption by almost 16m tonnes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 42m tonnes.
