An aerial panoramic photo taken on Jan. 1, 2025 shows a view of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project under construction in Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. The first power generation unit of China National Nuclear Corporation's Zhangzhou nuclear power project in southeast China's Fujian began commercial operation on Wednesday, marking a major step forward in the batch construction process of Hualong One, a domestically developed third-generation reactor. (Zhangzhou nuclear power project/Handout via Xinhua)

　　FUZHOU, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The first power generation unit of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project in east China's Fujian Province began commercial operations on Wednesday, according to China National Nuclear Corporation.

　　This marked a major step forward in the scaled construction of Hualong One, a domestically developed third-generation reactor, as China seeks to improve its energy mix and meet its dual carbon targets.

　　The Hualong One reactor meets the highest global safety standards and represents a major milestone in the country's innovative nuclear power development.

　　The Zhangzhou nuclear power project is designed to have six Hualong One nuclear power units.

　　A Hualong One nuclear power unit generates more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the annual production and domestic electricity demands of 1 million people in moderately developed countries. This is the equivalent of reducing standard coal consumption by 3.12 million tonnes annually and carbon dioxide emissions by 8.16 million tonnes per year.■