In Zhangzhou, China is banking on its 3rd generation nuclear reactor to become a carbon neutral state by 2060

Xi Jinping does not hide his ambitions. The Chinese President has already announced that he wants to make his country a carbon neutral state by 2060. And this involves in particular an energy transition. Rather than coal-fired power stations, as in the majority of countries in the world, third-generation nuclear fission reactors are now being built in the country. They take risks more into account – thanks to feedback from the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

In China, these new nuclear power plants are called Hualong One. In a press release, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) indicated, on November 29, that it had “reaches the number of 33 Hualong One nuclear reactors operational or under construction on national territory and abroad”.

The Chinese are banking on the six Hualong One reactors in Zhangzhou to succeed in their energy transition

At the end of November, the Zhangzhou site, which includes six reactors, connected the first of them to the electricity grid. A second should follow in 2025. The Hualong One power plant project in Zhangzhou received a budget of 14 billion dollars from the Chinese government. This is the price to pay to achieve the zero carbon objectives desired by the President.

It must be said that the start-up of a single Hualong One reactor would make it possible to reduce, per year, CO2 emissions by 8.16 million tonnes, and coal consumption by 3.12 million tonnes. Once all the reactors are operational, the site could produce electricity to meet the needs of 6 million Chinese, notes Interesting Engineering.

Nuclear: where are we in the world?

Currently, 9% of electricity produced internationally comes from nuclear power plants. Although the United States has always been a leader in this area, its reactors are older and therefore less efficient and less safe than the latest constructions, particularly in China. There are 94 operational nuclear reactors in the United States compared to 56 in China, all generations combined.

In France, the first third generation reactor is that of Flamanville, in the Manche region. After 17 years of work and huge delays on initial plans and budgets, it was finally connected to the national electricity network on December 21. It could, ultimately, supply 2 million French homes with electricity.