China Approves Eight Nuclear Reactors in New Hualong Push

China’s State Council approved four nuclear power projects totaling eight reactor units on 31 July 2026, a decision that Xinhua reports will deploy the first “Hualong One 2.0” demonstration units and accelerate China’s push for nuclear self-reliance. The executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Qiang, cleared Zhejiang Jinqimen Phase II, Guangdong Taipingling Phase III, Liaoning Zhuanghe Phase I and Shandong Laiyang Phase I.

According to the official readout of the State Council meeting, the new units must be built and operated to the world’s highest safety standards, with strengthened whole-chain, whole-field safety supervision, and “nuclear safety must be ensured with absolute certainty.”

A ‘National Calling Card’ Gets an Upgrade

Hualong One is a million-kilowatt-class Generation III pressurized water reactor developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) on the basis of more than four decades of domestic experience. Xinhua describes the design as a “national calling card” because of its fully independent intellectual property.

The Hualong One 2.0, dubbed a “Generation III Plus” design, incorporates operating feedback from the current fleet. IT之家 reported that it uses Chinese standards, indigenous software and optimized active and passive safety systems, and applies advanced techniques in intelligent control and modular construction. The result, CNNC said, is a significantly reduced engineering workload and across-the-board improvements in safety, sophistication and economics.

China Science Daily reported that CNNC described the milestone as marking the shift of China’s nuclear industry from “overall parallel running” to “comprehensive parallel running with partial leadership.”

What Was Approved

Of the eight approved units, six will use Hualong One technology. Zhejiang Jinqimen Phase II and Guangdong Taipingling Phase III were formally designated as Hualong One 2.0 demonstration projects — the first deployment of the upgraded design. The remaining units at Liaoning Zhuanghe Phase I will also use Hualong One, while the fourth project, Shandong Laiyang Phase I, brings the total to eight units.

The approval adds to a fleet that already ranks first globally among Generation III reactors. According to Xinhua, 10 Hualong One units are now in commercial operation at home and abroad, with 37 more approved or under construction. Each unit is designed to generate nearly 10 billion kilowatt-hours per year — enough to meet the annual electricity needs of a medium-sized city with more than one million people — while saving more than 3 million tonnes of standard coal and cutting more than 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The Taipingling site in Huizhou, Guangdong, illustrates the scale of the program. 21st Century Business Herald reported that the newly approved Phase III comprises two Hualong One 2.0 units rated at 1,217 megawatts each, with projected output sufficient for nearly two million people. Once all six planned Taipingling units are operating, the project is expected to save about 15.02 million tonnes of standard coal and cut roughly 46.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, supporting the Greater Bay Area’s green transition.

A Strategic Bet on Nuclear Independence

For Beijing, the reactor program is about more than adding clean electricity. Hualong One 2.0’s combination of Chinese standards, domestic software and modular construction is aimed at lowering costs and construction times for future deployments — a competitive edge as China expands nuclear power to meet its dual-carbon goals and energy security priorities.

The demonstration designation at Jinqimen and Taipingling signals confidence that the upgraded design has matured enough for serial production. CNNC has emphasized that Hualong One’s development has also pulled together nearly 6,000 upstream and downstream enterprises into a complete supply chain, giving China an industrial base that extends well beyond the reactors themselves.

What to Watch Next

The immediate focus now shifts to construction. Pre-construction preparations are reportedly advancing at the approved sites, and the Hualong One 2.0 demonstration units will be closely watched as a test of whether the design delivers the promised gains in build speed and economics.

With four consecutive years of approvals at scale, China shows no sign of slowing its nuclear buildout. The performance of the first 2.0 units — and any further approval batches later this year — will determine just how quickly the country can solidify its position as the world’s dominant builder of Generation III reactors.