Development status, challenges and countermeasures



Nuclear energy is a clean, low-carbon, efficient and safe form of energy, which is of great significance to addressing climate change, ensuring energy security and promoting economic and social development. As the world's largest energy consumer and carbon dioxide emitter, China's active development of nuclear energy is an important measure for its energy transformation and carbon peak carbon neutrality. So can China fulfil its nuclear ambitions? What is the current situation and prospect of China's nuclear energy development?

China's nuclear energy development strategy

China's nuclear energy development strategy is formulated under the guidance of the national energy Strategy, aiming to meet the energy needs of the country's economic and social development, ensure national energy security, promote the optimization of the energy structure, achieve clean and low-carbon energy development, improve energy utilization efficiency, enhance international energy cooperation, and safeguard national nuclear energy interests.

China's nuclear energy development strategy has the following characteristics:

On the premise of safety, China adheres to the principle of safety first, constantly improves laws, regulations and regulatory systems on nuclear safety, raises the level and capacity of nuclear safety, strengthens international cooperation on nuclear security, and maintains nuclear security order.

We will take innovation as the driving force, adhere to the policy of independent innovation, strengthen research and development of nuclear energy technology and personnel training, master core nuclear energy technologies, form our own brand of nuclear energy, and enhance the international competitiveness of nuclear energy.

With a demand-oriented approach and a market-oriented approach, the scale and pace of nuclear energy development should be reasonably determined in light of national energy demand and supply, the layout and structure of nuclear energy should be optimized, and the economy and social nature of nuclear energy should be improved.

To ensure coordination, adhere to the concept of coordinated development, coordinate the relationship between nuclear energy and other energy sources, coordinate the relationship between nuclear energy and economic and social development, coordinate the relationship between nuclear energy and environmental protection, and coordinate the relationship between nuclear energy and international cooperation.

In accordance with China's nuclear energy development strategy, China has formulated a medium - and long-term development plan for nuclear power, defining the goals and paths of nuclear power development.

By 2025, China's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 70 million kilowatts, nuclear power generation will account for about 4% of the country's electricity generation, the level of nuclear power technology will reach the international advanced level, the nuclear power industry chain will be improved, the nuclear power safety guarantee capacity will be significantly improved, and the level of international nuclear power cooperation will be further enhanced.

By 2035, China's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 150 million kilowatts, nuclear power generation will account for about 10 percent of the country's electricity generation, nuclear power technology will reach the world's leading level, nuclear power industry chain will be optimized, nuclear power security capabilities will be further enhanced, and international nuclear power cooperation will be deepened.

By the middle of this century, China's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 300 million kilowatts, the proportion of nuclear power generation in the national electricity generation will reach about 15%, the level of nuclear power technology will reach the highest level in the world, the nuclear power industry chain will be coordinated, the nuclear power safety guarantee capacity will be improved, and the level of international nuclear power cooperation will be improved.

Current situation of nuclear energy development in China

China's nuclear energy development has experienced a process from scratch, from small to large, from moderate development to active development, and then to safe and efficient development, and has made remarkable achievements, and has become one of the fastest developing countries in the world.

The scale of nuclear power continues to expand. As of March 2021, the Chinese mainland has 52 nuclear power units in operation, with an installed capacity of 54.389 million kilowatts, and 19 nuclear power units under construction, with an installed capacity of 21.327 million kilowatts, generating 407.138 billion kilowatt-hours of nuclear power in 2021, accounting for 5.1% of the national power generation.

Nuclear power technology continues to innovate. On the basis of absorbing foreign advanced technologies, China has vigorously promoted independent innovation and successfully developed Hualong One, a third-generation nuclear power technology with fully independent intellectual property rights. At present, construction has begun in Fuqing, Fujian Province, and Fangchenggang, Guangxi Province, with smooth progress. In addition, China has independently developed a variety of advanced nuclear power technologies such as CAP1400, ACP1000 and ACPR1000, which have been successfully applied to domestic and foreign nuclear power projects.

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.