Connection to the grid is an intermediate stage in the commissioning of a nuclear power plant between the first nuclear reaction and the start of regular electricity generation.
In China, last year the first power unit of the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant in Fujian Province, located in the southeast of the country, as well as the fourth reactor of the Fanchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south reached this stage. Construction of these power units began in 2019 and 2016, respectively. This period saw the dramatic growth of nuclear power in China. According to the IAEA, in China from 2016 to 2024, 27 power units with a total capacity of 30.7 GW were connected to the grid, that is, almost half of the existing nuclear power plant fleet, which includes 57 reactors with a total capacity of 59.3 GW.
Another project in 2024 was the completion of the fourth power unit of the Barakah nuclear power plant, which was not only connected to the network, but also put into operation. Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant not only in the UAE and throughout the Middle East, where oil, gas and petroleum products are mainly used to generate electricity. The new nuclear power plant will provide a quarter of the country’s electricity needs from 2025, while UAE authorities are discussing the possibility of building four more reactors. If the latter are commissioned, the Barakah nuclear power plant will account for 50% of the national output.
In the United States, the only reactor connected to the grid was the fourth power unit of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, and in France, the third power unit of the Flamanville nuclear power plant in Basse-Normandy. Construction of the fourth power unit of the Vogtle nuclear power plant began in November 2013, and the third power unit of the Flamanville nuclear power plant – in December 2007, while the reactor has not yet been put into operation. The project of the fourth power unit of the Kakrapar NPP in India was of a comparable duration: construction began in November 2010, while connection to the network took place only in February 2024.
The long-term construction is largely due to the high cost of nuclear power plants. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), commissioning 1 MW of nuclear power plant capacity in India costs four times more than a CCGT ($2,800 versus $700). In the US, this difference is fivefold ($5,000 versus $1,000 per MW).
