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Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, expects power startups at two units in China – the Unit 8 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant and Unit 4 of the Xudapu NPP – to commence operations next year. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev was speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
He added, “We expect power startups at Unit 7 at Tianwan and at Unit 3 at Xudapu this year and at Unit 8 at Tianwan and at Unit 4 at Xudapu next year.” Framework contracts for these projects were signed several years ago, and construction began in the spring of 2022.
TVEL, the fuel division of Rosatom, shipped nuclear fuel in April to the third power unit of the Xudapu NPP.
In total, four new VVER-1200 reactors are being built in China, including Units 7-8 at the Tianwan nuclear power plant in Jiangsu Province, as well as Units 3-4 at the Xudapu nuclear power plant. This is part of a large-scale Russian-Chinese interstate program of nuclear energy cooperation.
The Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is the largest project of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation. The construction of the plant involved original technical solutions that have no analogues in the global practice of nuclear power plant construction. The project has passed all the examinations of Russian and Chinese supervisory authorities and has been approved by the IAEA.
The Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant is a new project of cooperation between Russia and China in the field of nuclear energy, located in the city of Huludao (Liaoning Province). In 2019, a number of contracts were signed, including a general contract for the construction of Units 3 and 4 of the Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant with VVER-1200 reactors, as well as a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel. According to the contracts, the Russian side will design the nuclear island of the plant, supply key equipment for the nuclear island of both power units, and provide supervision, installation, and commissioning services for the supplied equipment. The units are scheduled to be put into operation in 2027-2028.
Rosatom holds a leading position in the global nuclear industry. The corporation is implementing a large-scale program of nuclear power plant construction both in Russia and abroad. As of 2025, the portfolio of foreign orders included 39 units (including six low-capacity units) in ten countries at various stages of implementation. Rosatom also controls 40% of the global uranium enrichment services market and 17% of the nuclear fuel market, and is currently constructing 80% of all global NPP.
