Unit 5 and Unit 6 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province Photo: Xinhua

Unit 6 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Northeast China's Liaoning Province has reportedly entered full operations, and it's set to provide heating to local residents over land area of 242,400 square meters in the town of Hongyanhe this winter, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Monday.

The development will help ensure winter power supply in the region, which faced severe power shortages last year. The move also comes as China moves swiftly to expand production of nuclear power and other clean energy, amid global energy challenges and the country's carbon emissions reduction goals.

Nuclear heating will be more efficient than coal heating, discharging no carbon dioxide, according to CMG. 

The plant cost nearly 90 billion yuan ($12.56 billion) and has a total installed capacity exceeding 6.7 million kilowatts. It's the largest operating nuclear power plant in China and the third-largest worldwide.

If all six units work at full capacity, the plant can generate 48 billion kilowatts each year, accounting for about 20 percent of Liaoning's total power use, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions of about 39.93 million tons, according to the CMG report.

Separately, Unit 2 of the Taipingling nuclear power plant in South China's Guangdong Province completed its containment dome installation on Sunday. The development shows that building nuclear power plants in fleets using Hualong One, a domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor, is proceeding in an orderly fashion.

An official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, said on Monday that China will develop new types of power infrastructure, with the installed capacity of nuclear power plants expected to reach around 70 million kilowatts by 2025.

As the largest country in terms of energy production, China is aiming for a diversified and clean energy supply system. The country's installed renewable energy capacity has surpassed 1.1 billion kilowatts, accounting more than 30 percent of the global total. 

The nation's installed hydropower, wind and solar capacities, as well as the scale of nuclear power under construction, all rank No.1 globally, according to the NDRC.

China's efforts to diversify its energy structure come amid a worsening global energy crunch, mainly due to geopolitical conflicts, inflation, disrupted supply chains as well as extreme weather. 

European natural gas and electricity prices have skyrocketed, and local people may face the "coldest" winter amid energy shortages. 

Global Times