It is a high-temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) pebble-bed generation IV reactor evolved from the HTR-10 prototype.

The technology is intended to replace coal-fired power plants in China's interior, in line with the country's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

Each contains some 12,000 four-layer, ceramic-coated fuel particles of uranium (totaling 7 g) enriched to 8.5% uranium-235 dispersed in a graphite matrix.

[3] The reactor is inherently safe, even if the primary loop loses power, it will cool passively and will not suffer a meltdown.

[6] The demonstration project for the High-Temperature gas-cooled Reactor Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM) was launched in 2001.

A 2018 paper by Rainer Moormann recommended additional safety measures based on experience with the AVR reactor.

[17] An updated larger power plant, HTR-PM600, is planned with a capacity of 600 MWe using six HTR-PM reactor units.