goingcritical:xiapu-1China · Power reactor

Xiapu-1

Status: Under construction 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.

Site: Xiapu, Fujian

ShanghaiShenzhenWuhanTaipeiHechiXiangtanShangrao
Xiapu, Fujian26.8036° N, 120.1550° E
Summary:

First CFR-600 demonstration sodium-cooled fast reactor; initial core uses Russian-supplied HEU fuel

Status opaque. Independent analysts (IPFM) reported the unit may have started up around late 2023, but as of 2026-07-10 both IAEA PRIS and the WNA reactor database still list it as under construction with no milestone dates, so no milestone is recorded here

Details

DesignCFR-600
Electrical output642 MWe

Milestone history

  1. Announced
  2. Construction start December 29, 2017
  3. Fuel load
  4. First criticality
  5. Grid connection
  6. Commercial operation