First concrete poured for Haiyang-5 nuclear island in China

First concrete at Haiyang-5

SPIC announced the pour for the nuclear island in a post on Chinese social media that state media also carried.

Kenya Today said the first safety-related concrete went in on 31 October and that main civil works had begun. The unit is the fifth at the site. Kenya Today put the pour at about 6,626 cubic metres of concrete over nearly 62 hours.

CNNC 24 is doing the civil work. The company is a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation and holds the nuclear island contract for both new units.

A Chinese AP1000

Haiyang-5 is a 1,161-MW CAP1000 pressurised water reactor, NucNet reported. The design is a Chinese take on Westinghouse's AP1000.

Global Times describes Phase III, covering Units 5 and 6, as using a domestically developed advanced Generation III passive pressurised water reactor. NucNet gives 1,161 MW for the unit, while Kenya Today puts each reactor at roughly 1,300 MW gross, and the reports do not reconcile the two figures.

Why the pour matters

The six-unit site sits against 135 GW of Chinese nuclear capacity already operating or approved, the most in the world.

SPIC projects annual generation of about 60.9 billion kWh from the six units, enough for roughly 54 million residents, according to Global Times. The same post estimates savings of about 18.56 million tonnes of standard coal a year and 48.63 million tonnes of CO2. Heating capacity would exceed 150 million square metres, enough for 25 county-level cities.

Nikkei Asia reported on 1 November that 79 reactors are under construction worldwide, the most in 40 years, as high fossil fuel prices and AI demand push plans forward.

China's nuclear queue

China has 120 nuclear units in operation or approved for construction.

Of those, 64 are running with about 68.59 million kW, second globally, and 56 are under construction or approved and awaiting a start, first globally, Global Times reported. Industry forecasts cited in the same report see China's operating capacity becoming the largest before 2030 and reaching 200 million kW by 2040. Haiyang itself is laid out in three phases for six million-kilowatt-class reactors.

What comes next

Approvals are already in place. The State Council cleared Units 5 and 6 on 27 April 2025, and the National Nuclear Safety Administration issued the construction permits.

The remaining work runs from finishing the nuclear island foundation and reactor buildings to mechanical and electrical installation, pressure testing, fuel loading and regulatory commissioning. Haiyang is also the first nuclear project in Shandong to break ground during the 15th Five-Year Plan, Global Times reported. That plan covers 2026 to 2030.