China has approved the construction of eight more nuclear reactors, extending the country's rapid expansion of atomic power as newly completed units enter service and installed capacity moves ahead of France for the first time.

The State Council in Beijing approved the projects during an executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang at the end of July. The latest approvals cover three pairs of Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors at the Jinqimen, Taipingling and Zhuanghe sites, together with two Guohe One (CAP1400) reactors at the new Laiyang plant.

The approvals come as two more Hualong One reactors reached major operational milestones. Unit 3 at the Changjiang nuclear plant in Hainan has begun supplying electricity to the grid, while unit 2 at the Taipingling plant in Guangdong has also recently entered commercial operation.

According to World Nuclear Association figures, China's installed nuclear generating capacity has now reached a reported 63.98 GW, in the process overtaking France's 63 GW for the first time. As such, China now ranks second globally behind the US, which has 96.9 GW of installed nuclear capacity in place.

The latest approvals reinforce Beijing's long-term strategy of expanding nuclear generation as part of strengthening energy security, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting decarbonisation.

The State Council approved Hualong One units 3 and 4 at China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) Jinqimen plant in Zhejiang province and units 5 and 6 at China General Nuclear's (CGN) Taipingling plant in Guangdong province in the south of the country.

Both projects have been designated as demonstration projects for the Hualong One 2.0 design.

Hualong One 2.0 itself is an updated version of China's domestically developed third-generation pressurised water reactor, and incorporates operational and construction experience gained from the earlier Hualong One projects.

CNNC said a total of 10 Hualong One units are already in commercial operation across China and elsewhere, while another 37 units have now been approved for construction.

CNNC also said its subsidiaries, CNNC Datang Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Co Ltd and CNNC (Xiangshan) Nuclear Power Co Ltd, will own the approved Zhuanghe and Jinqimen projects and will thus oversee investment, construction and operation.

The company added that the necessary preparatory work ahead of construction was progressing steadily at both sites.

China’s State Council also approved two Guohe One reactors as the first phase of State Power Investment Corporation's new Laiyang nuclear power station in Shandong province near the capital.

Guohe One is an enlarged version of the CAP1000 pressurised water reactor, itself developed from Westinghouse's AP1000 design. Laiyang is now being set up to accommodate six Guohe One reactors once complete with State Power Investment Corporation responsible for investment, construction and operation of the project. The company said Laiyang would become the first standardised, batch-built deployment of the Guohe One technology.

The latest approvals follow continued progress at existing projects.

On August 1, Changjiang unit 3 was successfully connected to the local grid and began supplying its first power. Revealing this, CNNC said the reactor was operating steadily and had entered the load-bearing trial operation phase, marking another step towards full commercial operation.

Changjiang unit 3 had initially reached first criticality on July 10.

The second phase of the Changjiang plant comprises two Hualong One reactors. First concrete for unit 3's nuclear island was poured in March 2021, followed by unit 4 in December the same year.

China Huaneng, which holds a 51% stake in the project, estimates total investment in Changjiang Phase II at CNY40bn ($5.9bn). Both units are scheduled to be fully operational at some point in early 2027. The Changjiang site already operates two CNP-600 pressurised water reactors. Changjiang units 1 and 2 entered commercial operation in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

CNNC also started building its demonstration ACP100 small modular reactor at the site in 2021. The 125-MW Linglong One reactor is designed to supply electricity, district heating, industrial steam and desalinated water and is currently undergoing pre-commissioning tests.

Located on the large Chinese Island of Hainan, China's southernmost has seen local authorities identify nuclear power as the island's future primary electricity source for its population of almost 10mn.

Further north, CGN announced that Taipingling unit 2 had entered commercial operation after completing commissioning. The company said the reactor completed all commissioning activities on August 3, including a continuous 168-hour trial run, before qualifying for commercial operation.

The unit received its operating licence from China's National Nuclear Safety Administration on April 30 and fuel loading of 177 fuel assemblies was completed a few days later on May 3. The reactor reached first criticality on June 25 before connecting to the grid on July 4. The reactor has a net generating capacity of 1,116 MW.