China's nuclear power units have a world-leading safety record, Lu Tiezhong, chairman of China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., told Global Times in a recent exclusive interview.
Lu said the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) composite index shows that the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has led the world for three consecutive years in the number of operating nuclear power units that achieves full marks in the index.
In 2022, China's nuclear power units in operation generated nearly 417.79 billion kilowatts hours (kWh) of electricity, which accounted for 4.98 percent of the country's electricity generation.
By 2035, the installed nuclear power capacity in the Chinese mainland is expected to exceed 200 million kilowatts, accounting for between 10 and 15 percent of the country's electricity generation.
“As a safe, efficient, reliable and clean energy source, nuclear power is an important choice for China's green and low-carbon transformation of its energy sources,” Lu said.
A one-megawatt nuclear power plant requires only 30 tonnes of refueling a year, compared with about 3 million tonnes for a coal-fired unit of the same size, he said.
With an installed capacity of 1.16 million kilowatts, a nuclear power unit using Hualong One, a domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor, generates nearly 10 billion kWh of clean electricity every year, which can meet the annual electricity needs of 1 million people in medium-sized developed countries. It is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 3.12 million tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 8.16 million tonnes a year. It is also equivalent to planting 70 million trees.
China's cumulative nuclear power generation has exceeded 3.3 trillion kWh, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2.4 billion tonnes.
A report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China said China would develop nuclear power in an active, safe, and orderly manner.
Developing nuclear power is an inevitable choice for ensuring China's sustainable social and economic development, meeting people's need for a better life, and realizing the country's goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.
Lu said China should further improve the safety and economic efficiency of independent nuclear power technology, achieve a steady increase in the installed capacity of nuclear power, optimize the overall layout of nuclear power plant construction, promote the comprehensive use of nuclear energy, and improve natural uranium supply capacity.
