China's Changjiang 3 nuclear unit, a Hualong One reactor in Hainan province, has entered operation. The unit is part of Changjiang Phase II, which also includes unit 4 and is expected to be fully operational by early 2027. The two units together will generate about 18 TWh per year, cutting coal use by 6.3 million tonnes and CO2 emissions by 11.6 million tonnes annually. The project is owned by China Huaneng (51%) and CNNC (49%), with an investment of CNY 40 billion ($6.4 billion). Nuclear already supplies nearly 19% of Hainan's electricity. The new units will support the province's free trade port ambitions and its carbon reduction targets. With unit 3 online, attention now turns to unit 4 and whether the local grid can handle the added baseload capacity.
