On July 13, the China National Nuclear Corporation’s Hainan Changjiang Multi-purpose Modular Small Reactor Technology Demonstration Project officially started at the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant. So far, the project has become the world’s first land-based commercial modular small reactor, marking China’s commitment to modularization. Small-scale reactor technology is at the forefront of the world. This is an important measure taken by China National Nuclear Corporation and Hainan Province to actively implement the spirit of General Secretary Jinping’s "July 1" important speech and a series of important instructions on the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. It is another important step for China National Nuclear Corporation to actively implement the national innovation-driven development strategy. Significant achievements are also good practices in the implementation of the strategic cooperation agreement between China National Nuclear Corporation and the Hainan Provincial Government.

Independent innovation is the soul of the nuclear industry and the core competitiveness of the nuclear industry. The small reactor demonstration project adopts the Linglong No. 1 technology of China National Nuclear Corporation. This technology is a multi-functional modular small pressurized water reactor type independently developed by China National Nuclear Corporation through more than ten years of independent research and development and has independent intellectual property rights. It is another major achievement of independent innovation after China National Nuclear Corporation's third-generation nuclear power Hualong No. 1. In 2016, Linglong-1 became the world's first small reactor to pass the safety review of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Different from traditional nuclear power technology, modular small-scale reactor technology has the characteristics of miniaturization, modularization, integration, and passive, high safety, short construction period, flexible deployment, and can be used as a clean distributed energy source. Various applications such as seawater desalination, district heating/cooling, industrial heating, etc., are suitable for various scenarios such as parks, islands, mining areas, and high energy-consuming enterprises' own energy sources.

Linglong No. 1 has a power generation of 125,000 kilowatts. After completion, the annual power generation capacity can reach 1 billion kilowatt hours, meeting the needs of 526,000 households. Its promotion and application can greatly reduce China's fossil energy consumption, promote energy conservation and emission reduction, and is of great significance for promoting the safe development of nuclear power and independent innovation, and providing green energy guarantee for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and ecological civilization demonstration zone.

The Hainan Changjiang multi-purpose modular small-scale reactor technology demonstration project is wholly-owned by China Nuclear Power. Its construction will surely enable the implementation and verification of small-scale reactor technology in all directions, accelerate China’s independent innovation capabilities in the field of modular small-scale reactors, and serve as a follow-up scale Lay the foundation for the construction of industrialization and mass production, consolidate my country's first-mover advantage in this field, and form China's independent stack-type brand.

As a safe, clean, and efficient energy source, nuclear power is not only an effective resource to help my country achieve the "dual carbon" goal, it also complements the green and ecological Hainan. At present, China National Nuclear Corporation has built China's southernmost nuclear power base in Hainan, and a number of power projects such as Changjiang Nuclear Power have been completed and put into operation, which has reversed the long-term power shortage. Calculated based on the annual power generation capacity of a single 650,000 kilowatt nuclear power unit of 5 billion kWh, it is equivalent to saving 1.5 million tons of standard coal, reducing 3.74 million tons of carbon dioxide and 29,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, which is equivalent to building another Wuzhishan Forest Park every three years for Hainan Green rise provides strong support. Editor/Tian Zengpeng