China's Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant has brought its second unit online. When all six units are completed, the facility will produce 60 billion kWh of carbon-free electricity annually with a capacity of 6,756 MWe.
The second unit at the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant, planned as the world's largest nuclear energy base, has commenced commercial operation. With a net electricity generation capacity of 1,126 MWe, this unit marks the completion of the first phase of the colossal six-reactor project planned for the plant site.
With this development, China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) total installed capacity has risen to 26,212 MWe. Upon completion, the Zhangzhou site will become the facility with the highest nuclear installed capacity at a single location in the world.
The foundations of the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant project were laid in 2011. Construction licenses for Units 1 and 2 were obtained in October 2019. Construction of Unit 1 began just one week after the license was issued. The construction process for Unit 2 officially started in September 2020. Both units were completed within approximately a five-year timeframe. While the first unit began commercial operation on January 1, 2025, fuel loading for the second unit was carried out in October 2025.
The criticality phase, one of the most critical thresholds in the technical process, was successfully completed on November 3, 2025. The reactor was connected to the national electricity grid on November 22, 2025. Following comprehensive system tests and a 168-hour continuous trial operation, the unit received commercial operation approval and officially went online on January 1.
China is playing big
Meanwhile, China is undergoing a radical transformation in energy production to achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2060. Despite large-scale investments in renewable sources like wind and solar, the continuous demand for baseload power makes nuclear energy a strategic element.
For this reason, the country has become the leading nation globally in commissioning nuclear power plants in recent years. Despite frequent delays in nuclear projects, China has largely succeeded in adhering to its planned schedules.
On the way to becoming the world's largest nuclear energy base
According to current data, the title of the world's largest nuclear power plant theoretically belongs to Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant. With a total installed capacity of 7,965 MW, the facility cannot operate at full capacity due to some reactors being shut down after the 2011 Fukushima accident.
The Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant, however, aims to effectively take over this title once all six units are operational. When operating at full capacity, the facility will produce 60 billion kilowatt-hours of carbon-free electricity annually. Once fully loaded and operational, the plant will be able to meet the energy needs of 6 million people.
The plant alone will be capable of meeting approximately 75 percent of the total energy demand of Xiamen and Zhangzhou cities in the southern part of Fujian province. The reactor technology used at the Zhangzhou site is Hualong One, a third-generation pressurized water reactor developed by China.
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