Wang Mingdan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and General Manager of Shanghai Nuclear Institute of State Power Investment Corporation, stated in an interview that nuclear power, as an important symbol of the country's comprehensive strength and core competitiveness, must actively, safely and orderly develop to support the goal of "building an energy power" first proposed in the "15th Five Year Plan".

Nuclear power enters a golden period of development

The 15th Five Year Plan proposes to accelerate the construction of a new energy system and adhere to the dual development of wind, solar, water, and nuclear energy. Wang Mingdan pointed out that nuclear power, as a clean, efficient, and stable base load energy, plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring national energy security and promoting green and low-carbon transformation.

According to the data, 112 nuclear power units in operation and under construction have been approved in Chinese Mainland, with an installed capacity of 125 million kilowatts, making China the world's largest nuclear power country. By 2025, the nuclear power generation capacity will be approximately 480 billion kilowatt hours, accounting for 4.8% of the total national power generation, making important contributions to economic and social development and the achievement of the "dual carbon" goals.

Master the core technology in your own hands

China has formed the world's most complete nuclear power equipment industry chain supply chain system, "Wang Mingdan proudly introduced. China has the ability to manufacture more than 10 sets of nuclear power main equipment every year, and the key equipment and core materials are independently designed and manufactured. The equipment localization rate has reached over 90%.

The advanced nuclear power models represented by Guohe No.1 and Hualong No.1 are widely recognized by the international industry for their progressiveness technology, safety and economy. Guohe No.1 has completed the engineering demonstration, and all key components have the ability to be domestically produced, marking that China's nuclear power technology has entered the ranks of advanced countries in the world as a whole.

Strengthening the lifeline of nuclear energy industry

Safety is the lifeline of nuclear power. Wang Mingdan emphasized that China has always adhered to a rational, coordinated, and progressive nuclear safety concept, and has established a rigorous nuclear safety responsibility system. As of the end of January 2026, 101 nuclear power units are operating safely and stably, with controlled construction quality, and have not caused any adverse effects on the public and the environment.

In terms of technological empowerment, Guohe No.1 adopts the "passive" safety concept, which has been fully tested and verified to ensure absolute safety. With the deep integration of digital and intelligent technologies, the safety and development resilience of China's nuclear power industry are constantly strengthened.

Five suggestions to promote high-quality development

Looking towards the future, Wang Mingdan put forward five specific suggestions to promote the high-quality development of nuclear power:

Promote batch construction: Maintain a stable approval rhythm for major reactor types such as Guohe No.1, solidify mature design schemes, and enter a new stage of standardized and batch construction.

Layout of cutting-edge technologies: Accelerate the launch of a new round of major national science and technology projects, coordinate the development and demonstration of fourth generation reactor types such as molten salt reactors and fast reactors, and tackle key technologies in nuclear fusion.

Incorporate into the green certificate system: Study the inclusion of nuclear power in the green certificate trading system as soon as possible, realize its zero carbon value through the integration of certificate and electricity, and adapt to market demand.

Expand comprehensive utilization: vigorously promote the application of nuclear energy in heating, steam supply, seawater desalination, hydrogen production and other fields, and explore the coupling development with high energy consuming industries such as petrochemicals and metallurgy.

Strengthen public communication: Strengthen science popularization and publicity for key groups, enhance the overall awareness of nuclear and radiation safety in society, and create a good social atmosphere.

Wang Mingdan stated that in the future, China's nuclear power will continue to maintain a fast pace of development and play a more important role in ensuring energy security and optimizing the energy structure.Editor/Yang Meiling