Hualong No. 1 demonstration project was fully completed and put into operation——
China's nuclear power ranks first in the world
Our reporter Qi Hui Wang Yichen
Recently, good news came from Fuqing, Fujian. The second unit of my country's independent third-generation nuclear power Hualong No. 1 demonstration project - CNNC Fuqing Nuclear Power Unit 6 is officially ready for commercial operation. So far, the Hualong No. 1 demonstration project has been fully completed and put into operation.
As soon as the news came out, the world watched.
As the "national business card" of my country's nuclear power going to the world, Hualong No. 1 is one of the third-generation nuclear power models with the highest acceptance in the nuclear power market. The comprehensive strength ranks first in the world, which strongly supports my country's leap from a nuclear power country to a nuclear power power.
Third-generation nuclear power preferred solution
"Hualong No. 1 is one of the most widely accepted third-generation nuclear power generators in the nuclear power market. It is a fully independent intellectual property right developed by China National Nuclear Corporation on the basis of summarizing more than 30 years of experience in nuclear power research, design, construction, operation and management. The innovative achievements of the third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power, which meet the highest international safety standards, are fully capable of mass construction, and have become the preferred plan for China’s third-generation nuclear power to contribute to the world.” The relevant person in charge of CNNC introduced.
What is a third-generation nuclear power plant?
How are the nuclear power plants of each generation divided?
Since the establishment of an experimental nuclear power plant with an electric power of 5 MW in the former Soviet Union in 1954, the development of nuclear power technology can be divided into four generations.
The first generation of nuclear power plants refers to the experimental prototype nuclear power plants developed and constructed by various countries in the 1950s, which proved that the technology of using nuclear energy to generate electricity is feasible.
The second generation of nuclear power plants refers to most of the commercial nuclear power plants in operation from the 1970s to the present, proving that the development of nuclear power is economically feasible.
The third-generation nuclear power plant refers to a new generation of advanced nuclear power plant technology that meets the U.S. User Requirements Document (URD) or the European User Requirements Document (EUR) and has higher safety.
The fourth generation of nuclear power technology is a nuclear power plant with significant innovations in reactors and fuel cycles. It looks at the longer-term development of nuclear energy, but it will not start commercial application until 2030 at the earliest.
According to Xing Ji, chief designer of China National Nuclear Corporation's "Hualong No. 1", Hualong No. 1 creatively adopts the "177 core arrangement" and the "combination of active and passive" safety on the basis of the mature technology verified by the project. Design concept, the localization rate of the first reactor equipment is 88%, and advanced design concepts such as single-stack arrangement and double-layer containment are also used, with complete serious accident prevention and mitigation measures, enhanced external event protection capabilities and improved emergency response. Capability and other advanced features have been fully analyzed, tested and verified by engineering, which fully guarantees the safety, economy and advancement of the power plant.
Yu Jianfeng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation, said that from Qinshan to Fuqing, my country's nuclear power started from "one poor and two white" in technology, to the independent design and construction of a million-kilowatt nuclear power plant, and my country has become one of the few in the world with a complete nuclear industry system. On this basis, a complete nuclear power industry chain has been formed, realizing the large-scale development of nuclear power.
Industry leading role is significant
What is the motivation for Hualong No.1 to "go out"?
Hualong No. 1 has complete independent intellectual property rights.
CNNC cooperated with 17 domestic universities and scientific research institutions, 58 state-owned enterprises and more than 140 private enterprises to jointly break through the localization of 411 equipment including reactor pressure vessels, steam generators, reactor internals and other core equipment. , obtained more than 700 patents and more than 120 software copyrights, covering design technology, special design software, fuel technology, operation and maintenance technology and other fields, meeting the requirements of nuclear power "going out".
"At present, the Hualong No. 1 model has entered the stage of mass construction. There are projects under construction at home and abroad, and nearly 20 countries have expressed their intention to adopt this technology." Xing Ji introduced.
According to reports, China National Nuclear Corporation actively responds to the "Belt and Road" initiative, implements the national nuclear power "going out" strategy, promotes the implementation of the overseas Hualong No. 1 project, and forms cooperation intentions on nuclear power projects with more than 20 countries and regions including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Brazil. .
Hualong No. 1 overseas demonstration project - Pakistan Karachi nuclear power plant No. 2 has been put into commercial operation, and No. 3 has been generating electricity.
Among them, Unit 2 has created the shortest construction period for overseas construction of third-generation nuclear power in the world, and won the best practice case of energy international cooperation; in 2022, the general contract of Hualong No. 1 nuclear power project in Argentina was signed.
For China, the active development of nuclear power can effectively drive exports and help stabilize economic growth.
It is predicted that by 2030, the countries along the "Belt and Road" alone will build hundreds of nuclear power units, with a total of 115 million kilowatts of new nuclear power installed.
More than 60,000 sets of equipment are required to export one nuclear power unit. More than 200 enterprises are involved in manufacturing and construction, which can create about 150,000 employment opportunities. The investment for a single unit is about 30 billion yuan.
The construction of Hualong No. 1 has driven more than 5,300 enterprises in the upstream and downstream industry chains, bringing huge economic benefits and opportunities for transformation and upgrading to my country's high-end equipment manufacturing industry.
Usher in greater room for development
Under the strategic goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, my country's economy and society ushered in a wide-ranging and profound systemic change. The construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system has become an important requirement to promote the energy revolution, and it is also my country's economic and social transformation. urgent need for development.
The "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Completely, Accurately and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Concept and Doing a Good Job in Carbon Neutralization" put forward that nuclear power should be actively, safely and orderly developed.
The "Carbon Peaking Action Plan before 2030" also requires that the layout and development sequence of nuclear power plants should be reasonably determined, and nuclear power should be developed in an orderly manner on the premise of ensuring safety, so as to maintain a stable construction rhythm.
At present, the high proportion of coal consumption in my country and the weak stability of renewable energy have brought great challenges to the adjustment of energy structure.
Experts said that nuclear energy generates electricity in a safe, efficient and clean manner, and operates stably and reliably, providing a realistic option for addressing global climate change.
Taking Hualong No. 1 as an example, after the Hualong No. 1 demonstration project is fully completed, the annual power generation capacity of the two units will be nearly 20 billion kWh, which is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 6.24 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 16.32 million tons each year, equivalent to planting trees. 140 million trees, with significant economic, social and environmental effects, are of great significance to optimizing my country's energy structure, promoting green and low-carbon development, and helping to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
In this regard, Chen Hesheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out that the comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy is of great strategic significance for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Promote scientific research and industrialization in related fields.
On the one hand, continue to vigorously develop a new generation of nuclear power technology to continuously improve safety and reduce emissions; on the other hand, use nuclear energy for heating.
With the development of technology, especially the gradual maturity of the fourth-generation nuclear energy system technology, nuclear energy heating, seawater desalination, etc. will play a greater role in the sustainable development of energy and water security.
Under the background of the "dual carbon" goal, nuclear power has become an important option for energy transformation, and governments at all levels have also increased their attention and investment in nuclear energy.
In this year's "Government Work Report" of Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and other provinces, nuclear power is listed as the focus of work in 2022, and my country's nuclear energy development will usher in greater development space.