12月20日，国家科技重大专项——华能石岛湾高温气冷堆核电站示范工程1号反应堆完成发电机初始负荷运行试验评价，首次并网成功发出第一度电。
标志着全球首座具有第四代先进核能系统特征的球床模块式高温气冷堆，在中国华能实现了从“实验室”到“工程应用”质的飞跃，我国实现了高温气冷堆核电技术的“中国引领”，这对于促进我国核能创新发展、助力高水平科技自立自强具有重要意义。
目前，示范工程机组各项运行指标正常，反应堆、汽轮发电机及相关系统设备运行稳定，1号反应堆正稳步向单堆满功率推进，2号反应堆并网发电前各项试验有序开展。双堆有望于2022年年中全面投入商运。
作为我国自主设计、建造、调试和运营的新一代核电项目，示范工程由中国华能联合清华大学、中核集团共同建设，装机容量20万千瓦，2006年被列入十六个国家科技重大专项之一，于2012年底在山东荣成开工建设。
目前，中国华能山东石岛湾、海南昌江、福建霞浦三大沿海核电基地发展格局已经全面形成，华能核能技术研究院（华能高温堆技术研究中心）进入实体化运行。
Shidaowan gives China edge in nuclear power tech
The world's first industrial-scale demonstration plant of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with pebble-bed module, the No 1 reactor of the Shidaowan nuclear power plant, located in Shandong province, was connected to the grid and put into operation on Monday, said China Huaneng Group Co Ltd, its operator.
With the reactor in use, China now leads the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology worldwide, which will further boost the country's nuclear renovation development, it said.
Both reactors of the Shidaowan plant are expected to be put into commercial operation by the end of June next year, to further facilitate the country's ambition to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
As China promotes greener development and prioritizes safety and security of nuclear power plant construction, energy industry insiders are optimistic about the prospects for the nonpolluting energy resource in China over the next few years.
An analyst said the Shidaowan milestone marks China's mastery over the fourth-generation nuclear energy system. Only a few other countries have this capability. China has evolved from a novice to a pioneer in the world's nuclear technology.
Wei Hanyang, a power market analyst at Bloomberg New Energy, said the project is a leading pilot signifying new design with safety features.
"Gas-dependent cooling will make the prototype possible to be built in inland areas in the future, adding to China's measures to reduce carbon emissions," he said.
Wei said he believes with demand for power surging in coastal regions, China's total nuclear installations are expected to approach 100 gigawatts by the end of 2030.
The fourth-generation nuclear energy system is considered relatively safer as it requires no water for cooling, and the unit's melting point exceeds the upper limit of the reactor's temperature range.
Working without a containment vessel also means the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors' construction can be cheaper, and potentially be applied in more countries and locations, said Wei.
The Shidaowan plant, with independent intellectual property rights, has a total installed capacity of 200,000 kilowatts. Since 2021, it has been built jointly by China Huaneng Group Co Ltd, China National Nuclear Corp and Tsinghua University. The project successfully completed the cold and hot tests of double reactors in March this year and completed fuel loading in August.