The Hualong-1 nuclear power plant at Zhangzhou city, east China's Fujian Province, has been connected to the State Grid, boosting China's green energy transition efforts, according to its operator China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) .
The Zhangzhou nuclear power project is the world's largest base for using the Hualong-1 reactor, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design.
Li Feng, general manager of CNNC Zhangzhou Energy, said the successful connection of the base to the state grid is a key step towards the power plant's goal of entry into full-scale commercial operation.
"The No. 1 Unit of Zhangzhou nuclear power plant has been connected to the national power grid, starting to send electrical power to the grid. Subsequently, we will carry out a series of tests as planned to further verify the performance of the unit, so make sure it meets the conditions for commercial operation," Li said.
According to plan, the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant will eventually comprise six million-kilowatt-grade nuclear power units. Currently, four are under construction.
"The No. 2 Unit is currently in the dubugging stage and will be connected to the national power grid for power generation next year. Units No. 3 and 4, planned for the second phase of the project, have seen their construction started so far in 2024. We will further improve their economic efficiency while ensuring safety and quality. The Zhangzhou nuclear power plant is located in the power load center of southern Fujian. After the construction of the entire power plant is completed, it will further optimize the energy structure of Fujian Province. With the commissioning of the Fujian-Guangdong power interconnection project, we are also able to supply electrical power to neighboring Guangdong Province," Li said.
World's largest Hualong-1 reactor base completed, linked to State Grid
China's expanding ties with the Global South have pushed trade growth far beyond the global average despite the tariff pressure from the U.S., according to experts.
"Whilst the Trump tariffs ultimately led to a significant drop-off in Chinese exports to the United States and vice versa, the trading relationships across much of the rest of the world continue to grow, and China's trading relationships across the Belt and Road Initiative countries, as well as with the Global South, more broadly speaking, has grown at rates far greater than global trade growth as a whole. And we see that evidenced by the latest data. When we break that down, we see that has been underpinned by the developments in high-technology products in particular, whether it's EVs, whether it's even in semiconductors, as well as photovoltaic panels, etc.," said Dr. Warwick Powell, an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, in a TV interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Thursday.
"And you've got to look at the places where the growth is taking place. Africa, I think, is a very interesting case in point, because the kinds of things that China has been exporting and expanding in terms of its exports are all about African economic development -- its machinery, its energy systems, its technology, and this really goes to delivering on China's broader strategic ambition as an emerging great power to be an enabling great power, supporting the development of its partners around the world," he added.
Qian Jun, executive dean of International School of Finance at Fudan University, attributed the trade growth to Chinese firms' endeavor to tap into key regions like ASEAN, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
"The main increase of export comes from, as we have discussed, these new areas: The ASEAN economy -- southeast Asia remains the most important trading partner -- and also Latin America, the Middle East, and these [other such] new regions. So, the exporters of the Chinese companies are also very good at adjusting their destinies, their strategies, how to market their goods and services, so that the reliance on the U.S., for example, has gone down a lot," Qian said.
China's trade momentum increasingly powered by Global South: experts
