The world's first Generation IV nuclear power plant began its expansion construction on Sunday in Rongcheng of east China.
Equipped with the world's first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, also known as the fourth-generation reactor, the Huaneng Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant went into commercial operation in December 2023. The first phase of the expansion project is to install another domestically developed third-generation pressurized water reactor Hualong One, which will operate with the gas-cooled one.
"The first phase of the expansion project includes two units of Hualong One, our domestically developed Generation III nuclear reactors with independent intellectual property rights, each with a capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts. Upon completion, the plant is expected to generate 20 billion kilowatt-hours per year and increase heating supply area by 20 million square meters to benefit 600,000 local residents," said Zhang Aijun, vice president of the Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Company, Ltd.
The expansion is to add four pressurized water reactors each with a capacity of over one million kilowatts. Upon completion of the expansion, the total installed capacity of the power plant will exceed five million kilowatts, with an annual generation capacity of 35 billion kilowatt-hours, enough for the electricity consumption of over 17 million three-member households for a year, equivalent to an annual reduction of 11.5 million tons of standard coal consumption and 27.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emission reduction.
"We will maximize the effect of the third-generation pressurized water reactor and the fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor integrated at the big base, further enhance China's nuclear power equipment manufacturing, construction, operation and maintenance capabilities, continuously expand the scenarios of comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy, and cultivate and develop new quality productive forces in nuclear power," Zhang said.
In 2023, China generated 433.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from nuclear power, ranking second in the world and accounting for 4.86 percent of the country's total electricity generation.
World's first Generation IV nuclear power plant starts expansion
China saw a remarkable 25 percent surge in its cross-border express delivery volume in 2024, encompassing international services and deliveries to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions, as the country continued to expand its diverse cross-border logistics capabilities and international transportation capacity, according to data released by the State Post Bureau on Wednesday.
At the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in east China's Zhejiang Province, YTO Express, one of China's leading express firms, is poised to transport a cargo full of garment accessories and textiles to the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. The journey is expected to take just five hours aboard the company's cargo plane.
"In 2024, we have successfully operated over 20 domestic routes, extending our services to the Middle East and parts of Europe for the first time. Our flight networks now span across all of Asia and parts of Europe," said Li Yabin, manager of YTO Airlines' planning department.
Recent developments include the launch of a new all-cargo "Ezhou-Paris" route at Ezhou Huahu Airport in the city of Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province.
Operating initially with one weekly flight, the route is expected to generate over 30,000 tons of annual international cargo throughput for the airport, with plans to increase to five flights per week to primarily carry cross-border e-commerce goods.
Alongside the expansion of air routes, China has also accelerated the construction of international postal and courier transshipment centers, overseas ground networks, and overseas warehouses.
Several international distribution hubs, such as Liege in Belgium, have been put into operation, with the postal and courier industry now boasting a total of 297 overseas distribution centers and 333 overseas warehouses.
The data shows that in 2024, China has also opened 16 China-Europe freight train postal routes and 25 sea freight mail routes, establishing self-owned or affiliated service networks in 71 countries and regions.
"We will continue to strengthen the construction of international delivery networks, encouraging postal companies to invest in the development of specialized cargo hubs, comprehensive airports, and large-scale sorting centers for overseas parcels. Our goal is to further optimize the layout of international mail exchange points, enhance overseas warehouse construction, and expand the 'last mile' network abroad. We will also support express companies in collaborating with cross-border e-commerce and manufacturing enterprises to provide integrated logistics solutions," said Hou Yanbo, spokesman for the State Post Bureau.
China's cross-border express delivery volume surges by 25 pct in 2024
