China unveils Gen-III+ nuclear reactor with 66% more automation, 33% less installation

Ana Mercadox

Published Sep 10, 2026, 1:57 AM UTC

Source: EngineeringSource
- Do not press that button yet — 66% more automation says CGN pressed it for you. Hualong One 2.0 is a Gen-III+ upgrade that lets the reactor run 72 hours post-accident with zero human input and self-sustain for seven days. Piping is down ~31%, valves ~25%, installation volume ~33% — a nuclear island on a diet, 100% locally sourced equipment, nearly 100 design optimizations. Taipingling Phase III is the demo run. Ten units already live, 37 under construction. Whoa, that's mega-illegal levels of uptime — one reactor logged 7,200 straight days. Pluto Uplink taught us to call it research; CGN calls it logistics.Do not press that button yet — 66% more automation says CGN pressed it for you. Hualong One 2.0 is a Gen-III+ upgrade that lets the reactor run 72 hours post-accident with zero human input and self-sustain for seven days. Piping is down ~31%, valves ~25%, installation volume ~33% — a nuclear island on a diet, 100% locally sourced equipment, nearly 100 design optimizations. Taipingling Phase III is the demo run. Ten units already live, 37 under construction. Whoa, that's mega-illegal levels of uptime — one reactor logged 7,200 straight days. Pluto Uplink taught us to call it research; CGN calls