The Liaoning Zhuanghe nuclear power project in China has officially entered its construction preparation phase, according to an announcement from the Publicity Department of the Zhuanghe Municipal Committee on August 24. This milestone marks a significant step forward for the region's energy infrastructure development.
Situated in Lizifang Town, Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province, this project stands as the first nuclear power venture in Northeast China to utilize the domestically developed third-generation nuclear technology, known as the "Hualong One" reactor design. The comprehensive plan outlines the construction of six 1,000-megawatt-class nuclear power units with a total investment of approximately 125 billion yuan, to be executed in three phases.
The initial phase involves the construction of two units with an investment of around 44.56 billion yuan. This phase received approval from the State Council's executive meeting on July 31, followed by formal approval from the National Development and Reform Commission on August 13. On August 20, the project obtained land use approval from the Liaoning Provincial Department of Natural Resources, satisfying the legal requirements for commencing construction work.
The project timeline encompasses several stages, including construction preparation, civil works, equipment installation, system commissioning, fuel loading, grid-connected trial operation, and eventual commercial operation. On August 22, construction crews mobilized 85 pieces of heavy and light engineering machinery simultaneously to begin topsoil clearing across a 179,000-square-meter area, officially signaling the start of the construction preparation phase.
By the end of this year, the first phase is expected to complete the excavation work for Unit 1's nuclear island, with the foundation pit ready for inspection. The project aims to complete 2 million cubic meters of earthwork, representing 30% of the construction preparation workload, while bringing total investment to 2 billion yuan with an additional 1.3 billion yuan invested this year.
Once fully operational, the project will deliver substantial benefits across multiple dimensions. In terms of clean energy supply, it will provide 17 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, significantly enhancing Northeast China's clean power generation capacity and optimizing the regional energy mix. From an environmental perspective, the project will reduce standard coal consumption by 6.04 million tons and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 17.85 million tons each year, providing crucial support for Liaoning Province and Dalian City to achieve their carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals while advancing ecological civilization construction.