At 15:16 on August 1, 2026, Unit 3 of Huaneng Changjiang Nuclear Power Phase‑II Project was successfully connected to the grid for power generation, producing Huaneng Group’s first kilowatt‑hour of power from a pressurized‑water reactor nuclear power unit. This moment marks another milestone for China’s domestically‑developed third‑generation nuclear power technology Hualong‑1 with independent intellectual property rights, and injects strong green momentum into the development of Hainan Free Trade Port.
Throughout the construction of this major national project, Zhejiang Sanfang Control Valve Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “our company”) has deeply participated in and strongly supported the localization of core equipment for Hualong‑1 by supplying self‑developed nuclear‑grade key control valves. At the moment of grid‑connection, core equipment provided by our company, including the main feed‑water regulating valve, charging flow regulating valve and letdown flow regulating valve, operated stably and passed stringent real‑world engineering verification with reliable performance.
An Extreme Challenge Against Time
Nevertheless, the achievement of this milestone did not come easily.
At a critical phase of the project construction, the original supplier of imported nuclear‑grade control valves suffered unexpected delivery delays and failed to deliver goods on schedule. As critical equipment for the steam generator feed‑water pipeline, the main feed‑water flow regulating valve exerts a direct bearing on the safe and stable operation of the nuclear power plant. For a long time, the supply of this core equipment has been firmly dominated by overseas suppliers. The unexpected setback from the import supplier would have directly delayed key project milestones including cold functional test and hot functional test. China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd. and its contractors were left with less than 10 months to finish the work.
Completing all procedures including design finalization, raw material procurement, processing and assembly within merely 10 months represented an extraordinarily arduous mission even for proven nuclear‑grade valves. Compounding the challenge, localization required close coordination among multiple design institutes such as the China Academy of Engineering, Hebei Branch and Nuclear Power Institute of China, posing great difficulties for synchronized collaboration. Technical bottlenecks such as high‑temperature and high‑pressure sealing and radiation‑resistant materials meant every working procedure represented top‑tier challenges in high‑end equipment manufacturing.
Swift Emergency Support to Secure Key Project Milestones
Faced with the emergency, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd. leveraged its general contracting advantages and issued an urgent deployment assignment to our company. Our firm responded at full speed. With the speed and commitment of “Made in China”, we delivered an outstanding performance.
Speed – Concentrating superior resources from design, quality assurance and manufacturing teams, we efficiently cooperated with design reviewers to close all reviews for design and quality‑assurance documents. Assembly, commissioning, inspection, packaging and shipment were advanced in a fully‑compressed schedule. Within merely eight months, 30 sets of key control valves previously imported achieved their first‑ever localized batch supply. The delivery effectively supported the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Project and guaranteed the critical milestones of cold functional test and hot functional test.
Quality – While accelerating progress, strict control was implemented for every working procedure. The third‑generation nuclear power key control valves supplied by our company feature fully independent intellectual property rights. Technical bottlenecks including high‑temperature and high‑pressure sealing and radiation‑resistant materials have been overcome, with performance parameters reaching the level of international comparable products. In strict accordance with the timeline of the emergency deployment task, key equipment such as main feed‑water regulating valves originally for Units 3 and 4 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant were successfully redeployed to the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Project.
Breakthrough – The successful delivery of these localized devices has broken the long‑standing technical monopoly held by overseas suppliers in this field. From prototype development and national‑level appraisal approval to the successful delivery of the first domestic‑produced unit, the key control valves for Hualong‑1 have taken a solid first step toward technological independence and controllability.
“Made in China” Forging National Heavy‑Duty Equipment
Every component and every working procedure embodies the wisdom and efforts of independent innovation. Our company has proven through practical actions that in the field of nuclear power core equipment, Made‑in‑China products are not only capable of breaking overseas monopolies, but also able to safeguard major national projects at critical moments. Having passed the most stringent engineering verification with outstanding product performance and reliability, this represents the strength of “Chinese control valves” that underpins the safe operation of Hualong‑1. Going forward, our company will continue to contribute the wisdom and strength of Made in China to the development of China’s nuclear power industry with sophisticated technologies and reliable products, and strive unremittingly to build more national heavy‑duty equipment!
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