The unit of Guohe One nuclear project is on display at the 8th China Brand Day event held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Hall from May 10 to 14, 2024. Photo: VCG

China's domestic nuclear project Guohe One, with independently developed third-generation nuclear technology, has been connected to the power grid and generated electricity, the National Energy Administration (NEA) announced on Thursday.

The No.1 unit of the large-scale advanced pressurized water reactor Guohe One nuclear power demonstration project, using China's fully independent intellectual property rights, was connected to the power grid and started electricity generation, Dong Wancheng, an official at the NEA, said on Thursday during a press conference.

Being connected to the grid means that Guohe One has taken a key step toward the goal of commercial operation, media reports said.

Guohe One, located in Rongcheng, East China's Shandong Province, broke the monopoly of a number of materials and equipment manufacturing technologies, according to a report by overseas edition of People's Daily.  

All key types of equipment and materials such as main pumps, blasting valves, pressure vessels, steam generators and the internal aspects of the reactors were independently designed and manufactured in China, the report said.

There are two units in the first phase of the Guohe One project. The power generation capacity of a single unit is 1.5 million kilowatts, with a designed life of 60 years. 

The annual power generation capacity of the project will be 11.4 billion kilowatt-hours, which can meet the needs of more than 11 million people and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 9 million tons per year, equivalent to the afforestation of about 6.74 million mu (449,333 hectares), official data showed.

Guohe One is a completely independently designed nuclear project using Chinese technologies, representing the advanced level of today's nuclear power technology, said the report.

Research and development (R&D) for Guohe One began in 2008 and was completed in 2020. About 700 institutions and more than 30,000 technicians participated in the R&D, according to the report.  

More than 14,000 intellectual property achievements were made, including more than 2,000 intellectual properties in new products, new materials, new processes, new devices and new software.

Global Times