Chinese workers loaded the reactor with fuel Saturday night on the first generating nuke island of the Ling'ao Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

This is the first generating unit that has started a trial operation and the nuclear plant operator has taken over the responsibility for nuclear security.

Construction of Ling'ao began in 1997. It is the second largest commercial nuclear power plant built in Guangdong, following the one on Daya Bay, and was one of the major power projects in China for the 1996-2000 period.

According to the construction plan, four nuclear generators with a combined generating capacity of one million kw, will be installed at the plant. For the first phase of construction, two nuclear generators will be installed at the plant at a cost of four billion U.S. dollars.

The first and second nuclear generators will start commercial operation in July 2002 and March 2003. The electricity generated will be brought into the local power grid in Guangdong Province, one of the country's economic powerhouses.

At present, four nuclear power projects are being built in China. The other three are the second and third phases of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang Province, and the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, a Sino-Russian joint venture, at Lianyungang on China's east coast.