Hongyanhe nuclear power plant marks new milestone

The Hongyanhe nuclear power plant connected Unit 5 to the grid in China's Liaoning province on Friday, coming one step closer to entering commercial operation, China General Nuclear Power Group, its operator, said on Friday.

It is the first nuclear power plant as well as the biggest energy investment in the northeastern parts of China, said CGN.

Construction of Phase I (units 1-4) of the Hongyanhe plant, comprising four CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, began in August 2009.

Units 1 and 2 have been in commercial operation since June 2013 and May 2014, respectively, while unit 3 entered commercial operation in August 2015 and unit 4 in September 2016.

By the end of last year, the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant (unit 1-4) have produced clean energy power up to 157.2 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent of reduction of standard coal of 48.03 million tons, it said.

The Hongyanhe plant is owned and operated by Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Company, a joint venture between China General Nuclear and State Power Investment Corporation, each holding a 45 percent stake, with the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Company holding the remaining 10 percent.