First fuel loading begins at Tianwan nuclear unit 7, commercial operation expected this year

First fuel loading begins at Tianwan nuclear unit 7, commercial operation expected this year

On August 12, the first fuel assembly was precisely and safely loaded into the designated position of the reactor core, marking the official start of first fuel loading for Unit 7 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, which is invested and controlled by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) through its subsidiary China Nuclear Power.

This milestone lays a solid foundation for subsequent reactor criticality and commercial operation. Units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant represent the largest strategic cooperation project between China and Russia in the nuclear energy sector to date.

Each unit has a single-unit installed capacity of 1.265 million kilowatts, with an annual power generation capacity of nearly 10 billion kilowatt-hours per unit and a design life of 60 years. Currently, Unit 8 has completed cold functional testing, and according to the project construction schedule, Units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan plant are expected to commence commercial operation in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

Once all units at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Base are operational, the total installed capacity will exceed 9 million kilowatts, with an annual clean electricity supply of over 70 billion kilowatt-hours, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 57.4 million tonnes each year.

CNNC's Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is a flagship project of China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation and is the largest nuclear power base globally in terms of total installed capacity, both under construction and in operation. To date, Units 1-6 of the Tianwan plant have maintained long-term safe and stable operation, with a cumulative safe on-grid electricity supply exceeding 500 billion kilowatt-hours, and multiple safety and operational indicators ranking among the best for similar units worldwide.