Development status, challenges and countermeasures

The nuclear power industry continues to improve. China has established a complete nuclear power industry chain, mastered the core technology of designing and manufacturing key equipment for nuclear and conventional islands, developed and expanded a number of equipment and parts manufacturers for nuclear power plants, and formed a manufacturing capacity of eight to 10 sets of nuclear power main equipment every year, and the localization rate of key equipment and materials for third-generation million-kilowatt nuclear power units has reached more than 85%.

The safety of nuclear power has been continuously improved. China has always given top priority to nuclear security, constantly improved its laws, regulations and regulatory system on nuclear security, raised the level and capacity of nuclear security, strengthened international cooperation on nuclear security, and maintained nuclear security order. China's nuclear power plants have always maintained a good operating record, and there has never been an operation incident of level 2 or above on the International Nuclear Event scale. Compared with the performance indicators stipulated by the World Nuclear Power Operators Association, China's operating units have good performance among the more than 400 operating units in the world, and the overall safety indicators have improved year by year.

Nuclear power cooperation has been deepened. China has taken an active part in international nuclear energy cooperation, signed relevant agreements with many countries and international organizations, and carried out cooperation in nuclear power and related fields. China's nuclear power technology and products have been exported to Pakistan, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Turkey and other countries, and Hualong One, CAP1400 and other technologies have been welcomed and recognized by the international market.

The prospect of nuclear energy development in China

China's nuclear energy development faces both good opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, China's energy demand continues to grow, the transformation of energy structure is accelerating, and the goal of carbon neutrality is clear, which provides a broad space and strong impetus for the development of nuclear energy. On the other hand, China's nuclear energy development also faces multiple difficulties and pressures, such as insufficient cost competitiveness, weak technological innovation capacity, low social recognition of nuclear power, and unstable international cooperation environment for nuclear power.

For China to achieve its nuclear ambitions, therefore, it needs to take the following steps:

We should increase investment in and support for nuclear energy, reduce nuclear power costs, improve nuclear power competitiveness, and make nuclear power a market-based choice rather than a policy choice.

We will strengthen scientific and technological innovation and personnel training in nuclear energy, break through the bottleneck of core nuclear energy technologies, enhance the capability of independent research, development and application of nuclear energy, and form a system and mechanism for independent innovation in nuclear energy.

Strengthen publicity and education on nuclear energy, raise social acceptance of nuclear energy, eliminate fear and misunderstanding of nuclear energy, enhance public participation and supervision of nuclear energy, and form social consensus and support for nuclear energy.

China will strengthen international cooperation and exchanges in nuclear energy, actively participate in the formulation and implementation of international nuclear energy rules and standards, promote the opening and competition of the international nuclear energy market, and form an atmosphere and platform for international nuclear energy cooperation and win-win results.

China's nuclear energy development has great potential and prospects, but also faces severe challenges and pressure. To realize its nuclear energy ambitions, China needs to continue to take safety as the premise, innovation as the driving force, demand as the guide, and coordination as the guarantee, and continue to promote the scale, technology, marketization and internationalization of nuclear energy, to build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, to achieve the goal of carbon peak carbon neutrality, and to promote sustainable economic and social development.