Background: The AP1000 reactor, explained

Current state

Status	Commissioning
Design	CAP1000 (PWR)
Net capacity	1,150 MWe
Country	China
Vendor	SPIC (CAP1000)
Owner / operator	CNNC
Construction start	2022-06-28
Original COD target	—
Current COD estimate	2027
Schedule slippage	—

Notes

Cold functional test completed 2026-02-10, confirmed by NucNet, WNN, CNNC and Chinese state media; commissioning-phase milestones (turbine non-nuclear steam test 2026-06-13) per Chinese industry press. CNNP annual report lists unit in commissioning with commercial operation planned 2027, consistent with baseline. Hot functional tests not yet announced as of 2026-09-15.

Milestone log

2022-06-28 — Construction start (first concrete) (source)
2026-02-10 — Cold functional test (primary circuit hydrostatic test) completed; unit transitioned from installation to commissioning phase (source)
2026-06-13 — Non-nuclear turbine steam test (roll-up to rated 1500 rpm) succeeded in a single attempt (source)
2026-06-16 — Listed as under construction in the WNA world table, grid connection estimated 2027 (source)

The milestone log is append-only: corrections are recorded as new entries, never rewrites. Full history via /api/v1/changes.

NNN coverage

On the CAP1000 design

The 7 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-10-03
Bailong 2 enters construction with first nuclear-island concrete 2026-09-28
Haiyang-3 completes hot functional testing 2026-08-17
China approves eight reactors across four nuclear projects 2026-08-03
China General Nuclear installs reactor vessel at Lufeng unit 1 2026-07-15

Sanmen-3

Current state

Notes

Milestone log

NNN coverage

On the CAP1000 design

Sources