China National Nuclear Corporation's third-generation ACP100 nuclear reactor, called the Linglong One, has been approved for construction and is on track to become the first small reactor built for commercial purposes in the country.

The reactor would be put to use in Changjiang Li autonomous county of Hainan with construction to begin this year. The ACP100 has “completed the preliminary design stage and is qualified for construction,” China Daily reported.

Feasibility work for the site chosen will also proceed, including soil and water studies, seismic safety assessments, and geological risk analysis. The project, said China Nuclear New Energy Investment General Manager Qian Tianlin, is considered a pilot program.

The small reactor, under 300 megawatts of capacity and primarily built in a factory, can be used for residential heating, he said, allowing for the replacement of coal-burning boilers.

The Linglong One reactor is the first in the world to pass a safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, according to the report.