Photo: courtesy of CNNC

The Fuqing-5 nuclear reactor will be put into operation by the end of 2020, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Located in Fuqing, South China's Fujian Province, the reactor is China's first nuclear power project to use China's own "Hualong One" nuclear reactor. It has a domestically developed third-generation reactor design, with exclusive intellectual property rights. 

A key tightness function test was completed on May 13, marking an important step in the development of the reactor before the fuel loading process, according to media reports.

The "Hualong One" design was developed by two major state-backed nuclear power giants, CNNC and the China General Nuclear Power Corporation, to meet higher requirements of the latest global nuclear safety standards.

The reactor will enter the fuel loading process in mid-year after verification by the National Nuclear Safety Administration, the country's nuclear safety watchdog, and should be able to be put into operation by the end of this year, Gu Jun, general manager of CNNC and a deputy of the National People's Congress, said on Sunday.

As of April 2020, China has 47 nuclear power reactors in operation, ranking second in the world, and currently, 15 nuclear power stations are under construction, the most in the world.