The construction site of Zhangzhou Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant in Fujian Province on October 15, 2024 Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT

In the main control room at the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, operators of the Hualong One reactor - a domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor, carefully monitor the glowing indicator lights on a big screen to ensure the smooth operation of one of the most efficient clean energy sources.

It is a glimpse into the daily operations of the Unit 5 of the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant in Zhangzhou city, East China's Fujian Province, which has been running safely for 45 months since it entered commercial operation on January 30, 2021.

The Unit 5 of Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant marks China's entry into the ranks of top third-generation nuclear technology, making China one of the few countries to master this technology after the US, Russia and France, according to the People's Daily.

Hualong One is China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) third-generation nuclear power technology with independent intellectual property rights, designed and developed by the CNNC on the basis of more than 30 years of nuclear reactor research, development, manufacturing, construction and operation experiences. 

Dedicated development 

Together with the Unit 6 of the power plant, which was also equipped with Hualong One reactor, the dual unit can generate nearly 53 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, equivalent to reducing the consumption of standard coal by 15.63 million tons per year, cutting carbon dioxide emissions of 40.92 million tons.

Decades of dedicated exploration by Chinese scientists in the nuclear power field have led to a global milestone in third-generation pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology with the development of Hualong One.

The "Golden Man," also known as Huangjinren, is the nickname of the nuclear reactor operator. Huangjinren spend their days in the main control room, barely seeing sunlight, their eyes fixed on screens, watching monotonous numbers and time-varying curves of data to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear reactor. 

In the early stages of nuclear power plant operation around the 1990s, the first batch of Chinese nuclear reactor operators had to be sent abroad to gain professional training and expertise. 

The cost of training a nuclear reactor operator, when converted in to the weight of gold, is approximately equivalent to the weight of an adult. Therefore, the nickname Huangjinren is a reflection of the tremendous cost to train a professional reactor operator. The operator often undergoes extensive training for at least five years.

In normal conditions, there would be five operators on duty in the main control room of the nuclear island, ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear power plant. 

In January 2018, Hualong International Training Center was set up at Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, aiming to globally promote Hualong One's standards in technology, management, operation and maintenance, providing talent training to boost the export of Hualong One reactors to the BRI (Belt and Road Iniative) partners.

A representative from Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant told the Global Times that China is currently capable of independently training nuclear reactor operators and related engineers, paving the way for Hualong One's sustainable expansion in China and overseas markets.

As of the end of 2023, Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant has trained more than 2,000 of its own employees and about 500 Huangjinren. It has also undertaken training of more than 1,000 engineers needed by other nuclear power plants in China, Arab League and the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Gaining experiences

Speaking of the most challenging issue in the course of constructing the world's first Hualong One nuclear reactor, Li Zonglin, the on-site manager of Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant who is also one of the most experienced reactor operators of Hualong One, said that the difficulty was the workers lack experiences to refer to during the construction phase.

Each Hualong One unit has about 60,000 pieces of equipment that must be precisely manufactured and positioned, and the installment of Hualong One's unique combination of active and passive safety system requires engineers to carry out extensive mechanical calculations to ensure optimal functionality and safety, said Li.

At the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant, China's first nuclear power station using the Hualong One third-generation reactors,  there are currently four nuclear units under simultaneous construction. Eventually, six Hualong One reactors will be built there.

The Unit 4 started construction on September 27, 2024, which is the fastest-processing Hualong One project in the world. The Unit 1 is expected to be connected to the grid at the end of 2024.

An innovative approach of pre-installing main equipment in the nuclear island there before dome installation uses large crawler cranes, changing the traditional construction sequence and increasing construction efficiency.

Li Bin, the trade union chairman of the Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Co of China National Nuclear Power Co, noted that the construction used modularized construction methods, therefore increasing Hualong One reactor's competitiveness in the international market.