A scientific and rational understanding of China's nuclear energy safety



April 15 is China's fifth National Security Education Day. As an important safety topic in the energy field, nuclear energy safety has attracted much public attention. China's nuclear power technology nuclear safety standards, how to scientifically and rationally understand China's nuclear energy safety and nuclear energy development, in response to the above questions, China Nuclear Energy Industry Association deputy Secretary General, spokesman Yang Bo recently made the answer.

Question 1: Since the establishment of China's nuclear industry, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the safety of nuclear facilities. How has the Chinese government and the nuclear energy industry viewed nuclear safety since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China?

Yang Bo: Since the establishment of China's nuclear energy industry 65 years ago, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to nuclear safety, and ensuring nuclear safety has always been the common mission of the nuclear energy industry. Nuclear security concerns national security, people's health, social stability and the status of a great power.  China has always taken safeguarding nuclear safety as an important state responsibility, and has integrated it into the whole process of developing and utilizing nuclear energy. We have always taken safety as the prerequisite for developing the nuclear industry, adhered to the principle of defense-in-depth, and exercised supervision in accordance with the strictest safety standards. It has always actively adapted to the new requirements of the development of the nuclear industry, and constantly promoted nuclear safety management to keep pace with The Times and develop innovatively.

Nuclear safety is also a matter of life and death for nuclear companies. All sectors of China's nuclear energy industry always adhere to the principle of "safety first, quality first", and insist on ensuring nuclear safety as the lifeline of the development of the nuclear energy industry. We take "respecting and safeguarding nuclear security" as our common responsibility, and work together to build a community of shared future for the safe, efficient and sustainable development of nuclear energy. For a long time, China's nuclear energy industry has maintained a good record of nuclear safety and blazed a path of nuclear safety with Chinese characteristics.

Question 2: Nuclear energy safety is a major component of nuclear safety, and public perception of nuclear energy safety depends first on the performance of safe operation of nuclear power plants. Compared with international advanced indicators, how is China's nuclear power operation level?

Yang Bo: It can be said that the safe operation of nuclear power units is the best nuclear safety education. In 1985, China's nuclear power industry started from Qinshan, after more than 30 years of development, China has formed a nuclear safety management capability of independent design, manufacturing, construction and operation of nuclear power. As of December 2019, it had 47 nuclear power units in operation, ranking third in the world, and 11 nuclear power units under construction, ranking first in the world. At present, China has become a major country in the world for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

For more than 30 years, China's nuclear power plants have maintained a good record of safe operation, with no operational incidents of level 2 or above as defined by the International Nuclear Event Scale, and no incidents causing pollution or harm to personnel or the environment. The overall performance index of China's nuclear power units is in good condition, and the accumulative safe operation of more than 300 reactor years.  

Question 3: It is understood that China's nuclear power technology has reached the highest international nuclear safety standards, how to evaluate the nuclear safety standards of China's nuclear power technology?

Yang Bo: China insists on using the most advanced technology and the most stringent standards to develop nuclear power. The quality of nuclear power units under construction is controlled, the design indicators of new nuclear power units meet the highest international nuclear safety standards, and there are relatively complete measures to prevent and mitigate serious accidents. Especially after the Fukushima nuclear accident, the country accelerated the upgrading of nuclear power technology, and all new nuclear power projects adopted third-generation nuclear power technology. The third generation of nuclear power technology is designed to ensure that even if a serious accident such as a reactor core meltdown occurs, radioactive contamination can be controlled within the containment of the nuclear power plant, and large-scale radioactive release consequences will not be generated outside the nuclear power plant, and substantial and long-term impacts will not be generated on the surrounding ecological environment.

China's self-designed "Hualong One" design safety has reached the international first-class level, high technical maturity, the first batch of demonstration projects are progressing smoothly, and it is currently one of the few third-generation first nuclear power units in the world that can be implemented in accordance with the planned schedule. With the "Hualong One" and other construction as a symbol, China has become another country with independent third-generation nuclear power technology and a complete industrial chain after the United States, France, Russia and other nuclear power countries, in terms of the scale and development prospects under construction, China has become the world's third-generation nuclear power development industry center.

Question 4: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to strengthen and promote the construction of the national governance system. What is the construction and capacity of China's nuclear security governance system?

Yang Bo: After decades of unremitting efforts, China has formed a sound and efficient nuclear security governance system.  With the continuous development of China's nuclear energy industry, China has gradually established a nuclear safety governance system dominated by legal norms, administrative supervision, enterprise entities, and industry self-discipline, and the nuclear safety defense line has become more solid.

China has established a set of international standards, in line with national conditions, a relatively complete system of nuclear safety laws and regulations, the People's Republic of China Nuclear Safety Law issued to further enhance China's nuclear safety supervision capabilities to provide legal guarantee; Under the great attention of the central government, the competent authorities of the national nuclear power industry, the competent authorities of the nuclear industry, and the nuclear safety regulatory authorities have gradually improved the various systems and measures for strict management and comprehensive supervision of the development of nuclear power, and a number of safety regulatory measures are systematic and efficient with Chinese characteristics, effectively ensuring the safe and orderly development of the nuclear energy industry. Nuclear energy enterprises have always placed nuclear safety in the highest position. By introducing and absorbing the world's advanced nuclear safety management experience, they have built an integrated nuclear safety management system with safety and quality as the core. They have focused on strengthening the training and assessment of key positions such as operators and the quality and safety management of contractors, and have continuously improved the effectiveness of safety management through various measures. The China Nuclear Energy Industry Association has actively established cooperative relations with international organizations such as the World Nuclear Power Operators Association, actively carried out nuclear power peer evaluation, experience feedback exchange and supplier credit evaluation, and effectively strengthened the construction of industry self-discipline.

Question 5: Since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the nuclear energy industry at home and abroad has been strengthening the nuclear safety culture. What has been achieved in the construction of nuclear safety culture in China's nuclear energy industry?

Yang Bo: "Nuclear safety culture" is a concept put forward by the IAEA when summarizing the lessons of the Chernobyl accident. It is a concept that includes the safety literacy of personnel at all levels in the process of decision-making, management and operation. China's nuclear energy industry is an early industrial field to advocate safety culture in China. During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, China issued the "Nuclear Safety Culture Policy Statement" for the first time, indicating the consistent position and clear attitude of the Chinese government on the construction of nuclear safety culture. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, China further strengthened the construction of nuclear safety culture, widely promoted the eight characteristics of nuclear safety culture, took nuclear safety as an important value, and created a good nuclear safety culture atmosphere. Make sure everyone is a safety barrier.

Nuclear power enterprises have always adhered to the principle of "safety first, quality first", established a risk-oriented nuclear safety management system, continued to promote the construction of nuclear safety culture, and constantly improved nuclear safety management capabilities. The nuclear power production quality assurance system of nuclear power equipment manufacturing enterprises has been continuously improved, and the quality and level of equipment manufacturing have been greatly improved, meeting the development requirements of the national nuclear power industry.

Question 6: Can we say that nuclear energy safety and nuclear energy development go hand in hand?

Yang Bo: Yes. To develop the nuclear energy industry, actions to safeguard nuclear safety are always on the way. Safety is the lifeline of the nuclear industry, and China's nuclear energy industry can never have the slightest satisfaction on the issue of nuclear safety. The nuclear energy industry is an important part of our national economy. Compared with other industries, the nuclear energy industry has its own special management requirements and safety culture connotation in terms of nuclear safety, such as "four things" (everything has rules to follow, everything is well documented, everything is responsible, everything is supervised), "two zero tolerance" (that is, "zero tolerance" for concealing false reports, "zero tolerance" for illegal operations) requirements. Once found to be inconsistent with these requirements, all units will require immediate correction, continuous improvement and experience feedback, nuclear safety regulatory authorities, nuclear industry authorities, industry organizations and nuclear-related groups will also take various actions to correct and improve in accordance with the law. "Respecting nuclear safety, protecting nuclear safety, and ensuring nuclear safety" is always the mission and responsibility of every practitioner in China's nuclear energy industry, and nuclear safety is always on the road!

Q7: How do you view the development of nuclear energy in the context of nuclear safety education? What are your suggestions?

Yang Bo: It must be clearly recognized that the development and utilization of nuclear energy is a huge and complex scientific project, and it is a high-tech system integration and innovation. Scientific rationality is the basic attitude we should have toward the development and utilization of nuclear energy, and we should have a dialectical and development perspective to look at nuclear energy.

We must understand nuclear energy scientifically and rationally. To understand its scientific principles, deep defense, multiple defense barriers and multiple protection and the integrity, independence and effectiveness of defense measures, to know its safety standards, accident probability, risk prevention, to know that it is mature design, high-quality construction and operation management, but also to see the rapid scientific and technological progress to continue to improve the safety of nuclear energy important role.

Nuclear energy must be recognized scientifically and rationally. The development and utilization of nuclear energy, while bringing great benefits to mankind, also brings risks and challenges to nuclear safety. Benefits always accompany risks, but it does not mean that risks become unacceptable nuclear accidents. The safe operation record of more than 25,000 reactor years of global nuclear power shows that human beings can manage nuclear safety risks and safety is guaranteed. This should be the basic point of scientific and rational understanding of nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy must be viewed scientifically and dialectically. The fundamental feature of the concept of nuclear security is, first of all, rationality. We should attach great importance to nuclear security, and fully recognize the value and benefits of nuclear energy development. We should not give up food for fear of choking.

It is the common responsibility of the whole industry to actively carry out nuclear safety education and safeguard nuclear safety. All sectors of the nuclear energy industry should always carry forward and practice the nuclear safety culture and maintain good nuclear safety performance. This is a strong foundation for the development of nuclear energy and the best content of nuclear safety education. Under the guidance of the concept of "rational, coordinated and balanced", we should pool the strength of the whole industry to jointly build a new pattern of nuclear security work, jointly innovate the new situation of China's nuclear security work in the era of joint efforts, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy for the benefit of mankind.