Bailong unit 2 hits conventional island first concrete milestone as SPIC advances CAP1000 phase

Unit 2 conventional (turbine island) first concrete completed

Work has started on the conventional island, also referred to as the turbine island, for unit 2 at the Bailong Nuclear Power Project. The basement slab uses an integral raft foundation that is divided into nine construction zones and installed using a “skip-pour” method.

Concrete pouring in Zone 1 began on the evening of 7 August and was completed on the morning of 9 August. SPIC reported that 1,732 cubic metres of concrete were poured during 38 hours and 46 minutes of continuous work, with the project team monitoring process standards and strengthening supervision throughout the pour.

Zone 1 first concrete for unit 2 basement raft completed: 7 August (evening) to 9 August (morning)
Pour scope: 1,732 cubic metres of concrete over 38 hours and 46 minutes
Foundation approach: integral raft foundation split into nine construction zones using “skip-pour”

Milestone supports turbine foundation and basement sidewalls

SPIC said completion of the conventional island first concrete pouring for unit 2 is a key engineering milestone. The company stated it provides a foundation for subsequent turbine foundation works and basement sidewall construction, supporting overall progress on the project.

The text also notes that excavation for the nuclear island foundation pit for unit 1 began in late December 2024, with SPIC subsidiary Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI) reporting first concrete was poured on 22 December 2025. SNERDI stated that 6,662 cubic metres of concrete were poured over just over 64 hours.

Unit 1: foundation pit excavation began in late December 2024
Unit 1 first concrete: 22 December 2025, with 6,662 cubic metres poured over just over 64 hours

Bailong phase I CAP1000 scope, investment and schedule context

The Bailong plant, located on Jiangshan Peninsula in Fangchenggang City, Guangxi Province, is planned to have six units with total installed capacity of 8.62 GWe and total investment of approximately CNY120 billion.

Phase I, covering units 1 and 2, adopts the CAP1000 design. SPIC plans to build two CAP1000 pressurised water reactors, described as the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000, as the first phase of the plant.

An investment of about CNY40 billion (USD5.6 billion) is planned for the two units, which are expected to take 56 months to construct. The project also proposes building four larger CAP1400 reactors in later phases.

Phase I: two CAP1000 pressurised water reactors (units 1 and 2)
Planned investment for two CAP1000 units: about CNY40 billion (USD5.6 billion)
Expected construction duration for the two units: 56 months
Later phases: four CAP1400 reactors proposed

First fuel loaded into Tianwan unit 7 as preparations continue

The first of 163 nuclear fuel assemblies was loaded into the reactor of Tianwan unit 7 on 12 August, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced. CNNC said the start of fuel loading “lays a solid foundation for the subsequent reactor criticality and commercial operation”.

For the initial loading, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom supplied the fuel in January. CNNC said the fuel was manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant and forms part of the contract for Tianwan units 7 and 8.

Beyond fuel operations, CNNC reported that hot tests—designed to simulate the temperatures and pressures the reactor systems will face during normal operation—had been completed at unit 7 on 30 December. Cold tests, which are used to verify leak-tightness of the primary circuit and components, were completed for unit 8 earlier this month.

Tianwan units 7 and 8 are VVER-1200 reactors associated with agreements signed by Russia and China in June 2018. Construction of unit 7 began in May 2021, followed by unit 8 starting in February 2022. The project construction plan schedules commercial operation in 2026 for unit 7 and 2027 for unit 8.

CNNC said the Tianwan nuclear power plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%). The first four units at the Tianwan site entered commercial operation between June 2007 and December 2018, using Gidropress VVER units supplied by Russia. Units 5 and 6 feature Chinese ACPR1000 reactors.

When all units at Tianwan are operational, the site’s total installed capacity is expected to exceed 9 GWe, with annual generation over 70 TWh and an indicated annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 57.4 million tonnes.

Why could we build nuclear power plants so much faster in the 1970s and 1980s?

It's a question worth asking.

During the 1970s and 1980s, countries such as France, Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union commissioned dozens of nuclear reactors in what now seems like remarkably short timeframes.

Today, even with modern engineering tools, digital design, advanced manufacturing and vastly greater computing power, delivering a new nuclear power plant often takes much longer.

So what changed?

Many assume the answer is reactor technology.
But that's only part of the story.

Over the past four decades, the nuclear industry has changed in ways that go far beyond reactor design. Supply chains have contracted, manufacturing capacity has declined in many regions, experienced workforces have retired, licensing has become more complex, and every new project often starts almost from scratch instead of building on a repeatable programme.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing nuclear today isn't designing reactors.
It's rebuilding the industrial ecosystem that once allowed them to be delivered at scale.

The future of nuclear will depend not only on better reactors, but on stronger supply chains.