According to the State Power Investment Corporation, at 9:37 AM on October 31, the first concrete was poured (FCD) for the nuclear island of Unit 5 at the Shandong Haiyang Nuclear Power project — a key project under the national "15th Five-Year Plan" — marking the official commencement of construction on Phase III of the Haiyang Nuclear Power project.
Located in Haiyang City, Shandong Province, the Haiyang Nuclear Power project is among the world's first batch of third-generation nuclear power projects and Shandong Province's first nuclear power plant. The site is planned for construction in three phases with a total of six million-kilowatt-class nuclear power units, with a total installed capacity of 7.6 million kilowatts.
The Phase III project (Units 5 and 6) that has now begun construction was approved by the State Council on April 27, 2025, and has obtained a construction license issued by the National Nuclear Safety Administration. The units adopt the domestically produced CAP1000 third-generation passive pressurized water reactor nuclear power technology and represent Shandong Province's first nuclear power project to commence construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
Based on the technological accumulation and practical experience from earlier phases, Shandong Nuclear Power Company, the owner of the Haiyang Nuclear Power project, has increased the rated electrical power of each unit to 1.3 million kilowatts and can provide clean heating for five county-level cities, significantly improving the energy and resource utilization efficiency of the units.
Where the construction begins
The nuclear island is the most critical building at a nuclear power plant. The containment vessel, reactor core, and main equipment of the nuclear island all rest their weight on a single-layer concrete raft foundation. This foundation layer must withstand the static weight of the nuclear island as well as extreme loads under seismic and accident conditions, serving as the first safety barrier of the nuclear power plant.
Consequently, the large-volume concrete pouring requirements for the nuclear island base slab are far more stringent than for any civil building. The FCD pouring for Unit 5's nuclear island involves approximately 6,626 cubic meters of concrete, with the pouring expected to last nearly 62 hours.
What the completed project will deliver
Once Phase III is completed and operational, the clean electricity and centralized heating supply capacity of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Base will be further enhanced, making it the world's largest nuclear energy base fully utilizing passive pressurized water reactor nuclear power technology. Its annual power generation will reach 60.9 billion kilowatt-hours, sufficient to meet the annual residential electricity needs of 54 million people. Its heating capacity will exceed 150 million square meters, covering 25 county-level cities.
The Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase III project adopts a diversified equity structure with state-owned capital holding controlling stakes and private capital participating as shareholders. It is a major engineering practice in the batch construction of the "Guohe" series nuclear power units. Going forward, Shandong Nuclear Power Company will coordinate the operation of Phase I, commissioning of Phase II, construction of Phase III, and comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy, continuously expanding the boundaries of nuclear energy applications.
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