Lingao Nuclear Power Plant is the second large commercial nuclear power plant in Guangdong province which was decided by The State Council when the first unit of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was put into operation in February 1994.  Lingao Nuclear Power Plant is planning to build four million-kilowatt pressurized water reactor (PWR) generators.  Two units will be built in the first phase, using daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant technology copy and improvement scheme.  In the construction, the independent and home-made efforts have been increased to realize the independent construction of construction and installation, and all the main contractors are undertaken by Chinese units.  

Lingao Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 has been shut down for 13 consecutive years without any plan. As of April 12, 2018, it has realized continuous safe operation for 4,381 days, creating the highest continuous safe operation days of the same type of unit in the world.