The main control room of Linglong-1 Photo: Hainan Nuclear Power Company

The Linglong-1 - the world's first commercial onshore small modular reactor (SMR) located at the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant in South China's Hainan Province has taken a step further to operation following the complete construction of its main control room.  

"Next, we will further improve the monitoring and control functions of the control room, cooperate with the commissioning of nearly 100 process systems, and provide a strong guarantee for subsequent tests," Gao Yaofeng from the engineering management office of the nuclear plant told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Dubbed the "brain" of a nuclear reactor, the master control room is where operational specialists observe and operate facilities and systems. 

For the first time, a wall-mounted monitoring screen optimizes the space within the master control room. It controls and monitors hundreds of systems, nearly 10,000 equipment operations and various types of work in the nuclear power plant, to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the nuclear power plant, the Global Times learnt from the Hainan Nuclear Power affiliated with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

The systems will be finally transferred to the hands of the operation department, marking the Linglong-1 entering into the operation stage. Hainan Nuclear Power now reserves a team of about 60 preparatory learning operators.

The Linglong-1, also known as ACP100, is world's first commercial SMR that passed the IAEA general safety review. Qu Yong, the deputy chief-engineer of Hainan Nuclear Power told the Global Times earlier that it adopts passive safety features and is expected to handle extreme environmental conditions such as earthquakes, typhoons and flooding.

Linglong-1 is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2026. The Global Times noticed at the site that the Linglong-1 has a very specific agenda, all of which had been completed on schedule. Prior to when the project puts into operation in 2026, Hainan Nuclear Power has specified 27 milestones.

Once in operation, it is expected to generate 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the electricity demand of 526,000 households in Hainan Province, the Hainan Nuclear Power Company said. 

Meanwhile, it will contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 880,000 tons per year, equivalent to planting 7.5 million trees in a year.

The future of SMRs, including the Linglong-1, is promising, especially for developing countries eager to harness safe, clean nuclear energy to meet their environmental objectives, said Deng Xiaoliang, deputy general manager of Hainan Nuclear Power.