The Changjiang-3 reactor, the first Hualong One unit on the island province of Hainan, has officially entered commercial operation. With this milestone, China now counts 61 nuclear power plants in commercial operation on its territory, further cementing its position as the world’s leading country in nuclear capacity under construction.
The unit is the third at the Changjiang plant and the first of two 1,200-megawatt reactors planned under Phase II of the project, operated by China Huaneng Group. Construction began in March 2021. The reactor achieved first criticality in July 2026 and was connected to the grid in early August, following a series of commissioning and performance verification tests. From groundbreaking to commercial operation, the entire process took just over five years — a timeline China has now effectively standardized for this reactor family.
Hualong One, marketed internationally as HPR1000, is a Generation III pressurized water reactor jointly developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). The design integrates features from CNNC’s ACP1000 and CGN’s ACPR1000+, both derived from the French M310 technology. It is now the flagship technology of China’s nuclear industry, targeting both the domestic market and export — as demonstrated by Pakistan, where two HPR1000 units are already in full operation in Karachi.
Once the fourth Changjiang unit also enters service, the two machines will together generate approximately 18 billion kilowatt-hours per year, enough to power millions of homes. Estimated savings in fossil fuels exceed 6 million tonnes of coal equivalent annually. For Hainan — a Free Trade Port with ambitious decarbonization targets — the contribution is direct: the Changjiang plant is the island’s only nuclear source, and its expansion structurally reduces dependence on coal and gas imported from the mainland.
The broader picture is equally striking. In 2025, China’s State Council approved eight new Hualong One units across six different sites, and in 2026 it greenlit six more, spanning both the standard Hualong One and the upgraded Hualong One 2.0 variant. The same Changjiang site also hosts the Linglong One project — a 100-megawatt small modular reactor targeting commissioning in the same year. If Changjiang-3 represents an expected step forward, the overall picture reveals an industrial strategy that leaves no room for pause.
