goingcritical:tianwan-7China · Power reactor

Tianwan-7

Status: Grid connected critical since September 28, 2026 Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. Operating In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.

Developer: CNNC

Site: Lianyungang, Jiangsu

People's Republic of ChinaNorth KoreaBeijingShanghaiChongqingWuhanSeoulChangwonZhucheng
Lianyungang, Jiangsu34.6869° N, 119.4597° E
Summary:

First VVER-1200 in China to reach criticality — brought to minimum controlled power on 28 September 2026, five years after construction began. Grid connection and a stepped climb to 100% power follow; commercial operation still pending

Details

DesignVVER-1200
Electrical output1,171 MWe

Milestone history

  1. Announced —
  2. Construction start May 19, 2021
  3. Fuel load August 12, 2026
  4. First criticality September 28, 2026
  5. Grid connection October 8, 2026
  6. Commercial operation —

References

  1. IAEA PRIS, Tianwan-7
  2. WNN, Key commissioning tests completed at Tianwan 7
  3. WNN, First VVER-1200 fuel delivered to China for Tianwan 7
  4. NucNet - Fuel Loading Begins At China's Tianwan-7 Nuclear Power Plant
  5. Strana Rosatom (28 Sep 2026, 18:57 MSK) — Likhachev quote carries the editors' own gloss "А сегодня [28 сентября] мы выходим на ключевую веху", fixing the event date
  6. Atomic-energy.ru (28 Sep 2026) — reactor brought to minimum controlled power; "реактор впервые переведен в состояние, при котором в активной зоне осуществляется самоподдерживающаяся управляемая цепная ядерная реакция". Confirms fuel load began 12 August 2026 and that grid connection is still ahead
  7. WNN (29 Sep 2026) — English coverage. Note it gives no event date; 29/30 September in WNN and NEI are publication dates, not the event
  8. World Nuclear News - China's Tianwan 7 connected to the grid