People's Daily Focuses on "Hualong One" Zhangzhou Nuclear Power

On September 8, the People's Daily client and the Vision client turned their lenses to "Hualong One" Zhangzhou Nuclear Power, presenting the entire process of the nuclear island polar crane bridge lifting at Unit 4 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power in an 8-hour "slow live broadcast" format.

This was not only a visual feast of a national heavyweight project, but also a "cloud-based review" of Hualong One's solid strength. With over one million viewers witnessing online, it showcased Hualong One's millimeter-level engineering precision and the resolute pace of its batch construction, conveying to the world China's confidence and strength in independent innovation in nuclear power through the lens.

Documentary of Unit 4 Nuclear Island Polar Crane Bridge Lifting

This slow live broadcast focused on the lifting site of the nuclear island polar crane bridge at Unit 4 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power. On September 1, after the polar crane bridge with a total weight of 424 tons was fully assembled on the ground, it was smoothly lifted, rotated, and precisely positioned by a 3,200-ton crawler crane in one seamless operation. The live footage completely recorded the entire process from hook-up to final placement, presenting viewers with the orderly, precise, and efficient atmosphere of a major engineering construction site.

What is the Nuclear Island Polar Crane Bridge?

The nuclear island polar crane bridge is the main load-bearing structure of the circular crane installed inside the nuclear island building of a nuclear power plant, and it serves as the critical core equipment framework during the construction phase of a nuclear power unit.

Throughout the entire process of nuclear power plant construction and subsequent operation and maintenance, large core equipment such as the reactor pressure vessel and steam generators can weigh up to hundreds of tons, which cannot be lifted by conventional construction equipment. As the load-bearing main body of the entire lifting system, the polar crane bridge undertakes the lifting, transfer, and positioning of all heavy equipment in the nuclear island, serving as critical infrastructure that ensures equipment installation, unit overhaul, and operational maintenance in the nuclear island building.

"Hualong One" Popular Science

"Hualong One" is China's third-generation nuclear power technology with independent intellectual property rights. Featuring a "177 fuel assembly core" as its primary technical characteristic, it has a design life of 60 years and innovatively adopts safety systems combining "active and passive" designs along with a double containment structure, meeting the world's highest safety requirements and latest technical standards. Each Hualong One nuclear power unit generates over 10 billion kWh of electricity annually, sufficient to meet the annual production and residential electricity needs of 1 million people in a moderately developed country. It is also equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 3.12 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 8.16 million tons each year.

In terms of safety, "Hualong One" is equipped with four reactor safety barriers. The first barrier is the nuclear fuel pellet, which uses uranium dioxide ceramic fuel that is resistant to high temperatures, radiation, and corrosion. The second barrier is the zirconium alloy cladding tube. The uranium dioxide ceramic pellets are loaded into cladding tubes and stacked into columns to form fuel rods. The third barrier is the reactor pressure vessel and the sealed primary coolant system, which is sufficient to prevent the release of radioactive materials. The fourth barrier is the double containment. It is the final barrier preventing radioactive materials from escaping into the environment. The double-layer reinforced concrete containment of the Hualong One nuclear island is a critically important safety barrier. Its outer shell is 1.5 meters thick, the inner shell is 1.3 meters thick, and the inner shell surface is additionally lined with 6 mm of steel. The double containment can withstand super typhoons of Category 17 and earthquakes of magnitude 9.

Construction Progress of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Base

Zhangzhou Nuclear Power is the birthplace of Hualong One batch construction. The project plans to build six Hualong One nuclear power units. Units 1 and 2 of Phase I of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power have been put into commercial operation, Units 3 and 4 commenced construction in 2024, and preliminary work for Units 5 and 6 is currently underway.

The Hualong One batch construction project at Zhangzhou Nuclear Power has for the first time implemented a series of new technologies and equipment, including a domestically produced DCS platform and domestically produced automated welding equipment for main pipelines, further enhancing the level of independence and localization of Hualong One. In the Phase II project of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power currently under construction, the localization rate has exceeded 95%, with all key core equipment fully domestically manufactured, driving the development of over 5,400 enterprises across the upstream and downstream industrial chain.

The Clean Energy Value of "Hualong One"

Each Hualong One unit at Zhangzhou Nuclear Power can steadily produce over 10 billion kWh of clean electricity annually. This vast amount of electricity primarily serves the southern region of Fujian Province. It is directly fed into the Fujian power grid, greatly optimizing the province's energy structure. This 10 billion kWh of electricity can meet the full-year production and residential electricity needs of 1 million people in a moderately developed country. More importantly, it delivers tangible green benefits, replacing over 3.12 million tons of standard coal and reducing 8.16 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, making a significant contribution to Fujian's green mountains and clear waters and to the nation's "dual carbon" goals.

The Driving Effect of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power

The Hualong One batch construction project at Zhangzhou Nuclear Power directly drives the development of the local economy, bringing considerable tax contributions, attracting high-level talent, creating a large number of local employment opportunities, and promoting the development of related industrial chains such as high-end equipment manufacturing, environmental protection industries, services, and logistics. The growth of these industries will further promote regional economic prosperity.