At the start of 2026, Guangdong's nuclear power sector has once again solidified its position as the national leader in the energy landscape with a commanding performance. According to the latest data from Polaris Power Network, Guangdong's nuclear power generation from January to February 2026 reached 16.86 billion kilowatt-hours, firmly securing the top spot nationwide. This figure exceeds the output of second-place Fujian (15.22 billion kWh) by 1.64 billion kWh and third-place Zhejiang (12.42 billion kWh) by 4.44 billion kWh. This strong opening data not only represents an impressive report card but also raises a thought-provoking question: on the high-barrier track of nuclear power, how does Guangdong maintain its number one position? The answer lies in two key factors: "scale" and "innovation."
Scale as the Foundation: Guangdong Leads in Operational and Under-Construction Capacity Nationally Competition in the nuclear power industry is, first and foremost, a competition of scale. Without sufficient installed capacity and power generation capability, it is difficult to play a significant role in a region's energy structure. Guangdong Province is currently the nation's leader in terms of concentrated nuclear power projects and the largest scale of operational and under-construction capacity. By the end of 2025, Guangdong's installed nuclear power capacity had reached 16.18 million kilowatts, accounting for approximately 25.8% of the country's total nuclear power capacity. It is this solid foundation that has increasingly highlighted the importance of nuclear power in Guangdong's energy mix. In the first two months of 2026, nuclear power accounted for 16.6% of Guangdong's total electricity generation of 101.6 billion kWh, making it the second-largest power source after thermal power.
This scale advantage was not built overnight. As the "cradle" of China's commercial nuclear power, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has been operating safely for 32 years, supplying over 330 billion kWh of electricity to Hong Kong, accounting for a quarter of Hong Kong's total electricity consumption. It can be said that Guangdong's leadership in nuclear power began with Daya Bay but has progressed far beyond it. Currently, Guangdong's under-construction projects are in full swing: the Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant plans six "Hualong One" units, with four already under construction; the Lufeng Nuclear Power Plant has four units approved and under construction; in 2025, units 3 and 4 of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant received national approval, while projects like the third phase of Fangchenggang and the second phase of Taishan are advancing simultaneously. In 2025, all 28 operational units managed by CGN Power achieved "zero unplanned reactor shutdowns," and the total installed capacity of operational and under-construction nuclear power units increased by over 20 million kilowatts compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Notably, in April 2026, the first "Hualong One" nuclear power unit in the Greater Bay Area—Taipingling Unit 1—officially commenced operation. It is expected to generate over 9 billion kWh annually, meeting the annual electricity needs of a million residents, marking another step forward in Guangdong's nuclear power security capabilities. Building on scale, Guangdong's nuclear power sector is not only "large in quantity" but also "solid in foundation."
Innovation as the Game-Changer: "Hualong One" Accelerates Batch Construction If scale determines the "tonnage" of Guangdong's nuclear power, then independent innovation capability determines how "far" it can go. As a strategic industry with high technical barriers, the core technologies of nuclear power cannot be bought or begged for. The key to Guangdong's sustained leadership lies in forging a path of innovation from "introduction" to "independence" and from "single-unit" to "batch" construction. In 2025, the China Southern Atomic Energy Science and Technology Innovation Center, an advanced nuclear energy original technology source created by CGN Power, accelerated its development, providing a solid experimental platform for the iterative upgrade of "Hualong One" and the research and development of advanced reactor types. This signifies that Guangdong is not only a "major province" in nuclear power application but is also moving towards becoming a "source" of nuclear power technology.
Today, the fruits of independent innovation are rapidly materializing at major nuclear power bases across Guangdong. At the Lufeng Nuclear Power Base, the construction of Units 5 and 6 is steadily progressing, and China's first domestically produced "Hualong One" main steam release isolation valve has been successfully shipped and will be the first to be applied in Lufeng Unit 5. At the Taipingling Base, with the official operation of Unit 1, the "Hualong One" has achieved a critical leap from "demonstration" to "large-scale application" in the Greater Bay Area. Data speaks volumes: currently, CGN operates 29 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 33.04 million kilowatts and has 19 units under construction with a total installed capacity of 23.02 million kilowatts, 17 of which utilize the third-generation "Hualong One" nuclear power technology. This means that Guangdong not only possesses the nation's largest nuclear power cluster but also the most advanced independent technology and equipment system.
From the "groundbreaking zero" at Daya Bay to the current batch construction of "Hualong One," Guangdong has formed a complete industrial chain covering nuclear power design, equipment manufacturing, engineering construction, and production operation, becoming the region with the most complete layout and the most prominent cluster effect in China's nuclear power industry system.
How does Guangdong firmly hold the "top seat" in nuclear power? The answer is now clear: it relies on the deep roots planted over thirty years at Daya Bay, which have grown into a foundation of scale; and it relies on the breakthrough spirit of "Hualong One," which has built the confidence of innovation. Looking ahead, projects like Taipingling, Lufeng, and Taishan are poised for further development, and the large-scale application of independent third-generation nuclear power technology is accelerating. The story of Guangdong's nuclear power is just beginning.
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