Hongyanhe is a 6,714 MW nuclear power station in Liaoning, China. It is operated by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) / State Power Investment Corporation. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 15 million homes (estimated). It ranks #22 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 4.6% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061022.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 6,714 MW for Hongyanhe nuclear power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000500304; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 6,714 MW, Hongyanhe is well above the median nuclear plant in China (5,000 MW). Technically it is described as pressurized water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of China nuclear capacity
- 2.1% of 313,184 MW across 72 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 22 dated nuclear plants in China are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) / State Power Investment Corporation.
Local climate & thermal context
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a monsoon hot-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 43% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 76/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #15 largest nuclear power plant of 72 in China by capacity.
China has 72 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 313,184 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Dalian Tuoshan Wind · Wind · 50 MW · Liaoning
- Dalian Tuoshan Wafangdian · Wind · 49 MW · Liaoning
- Zhongdiantou Dalian Tuoshan · Wind · 49 MW · Liaoning
- Changxing Island power station · Coal · 700 MW · Liaoning
- Cgn Liaoning Paoya Dabeishan Wind · Wind · 50 MW · Liaoning
- Changxing Island Hengli Petrochemical power station · Coal · 720 MW · Liaoning
Location
Coordinates 39.8, 121.48 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Hongyanhe?
Hongyanhe is a 6,714 MW nuclear power plant in Liaoning, China, commissioned in 2013.
Who operates Hongyanhe?
Hongyanhe is operated by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) / State Power Investment Corporation.