On March 29, 2023, the commemorative event for the 40th anniversary of Sino-French nuclear energy technology cooperation was held at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. Of the CNNC' Over the past 40 years, CNNC and CEA have established seven collaborative laboratories in the fields of reactor thermal hydraulics, severe accidents, aging and life management of PWR NPPs, fast reactors, nuclear fusion, geological disposal, decommissioning and radioactive waste management. The two sides have sent more than 1,000 experts and scholars to each other to carry out further training and exchanges, and jointly signed and implemented more than 500 special cooperation projects. CNNC and EDF have successfully held six Sino-French nuclear energy technology innovation seminars, and achieved good results in cooperation in the fields of serious accidents, additive manufacturing, and material research and development. The Sino-French consortium team jointly established by CNNC and Framatome successfully won the bid and successfully implemented the main engine installation project of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. CNNC and Orano Group have carried out good cooperation in uranium resources and other fields. (Source: CNNC)

At 6:55 on March 25, 2023, with the successful completion of the 168-hour trial operation test, the first "Hualong One" nuclear power unit in western China, Unit 3 of Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant of the China General Nuclear Power Group, was officially ready for commercial operation . With the commissioning of this unit for power generation, CGN has 27 nuclear power units in operation, with a total capacity of more than 30.56 GWe. (Source: CCTV News)

On March 22, 2023, the first concrete date (FCD) of the nuclear island was poured for Unit 4 of Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant Site, a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd of CNNC, marking the beginning of the construction of the Phase II project of Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant. Sanmen Nuclear Power Unit 4 is the first nuclear power unit to start construction in China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and after the National "Two Sessions". (Source: CNNC)

On March 18, 2023, the Shandong Provincial People's Government, State Power Investment Corporation, and China Huaneng Group signed the "Framework Agreement on Jointly Organizing and Implementing the ‘Nuclear Future’ Science and Technology Demonstration Project" at Shandong Building in Beijing. According to the agreement, the three parties will jointly organize the implementation of the "Nuclear Future" technology demonstration projects, promote the innovation and diversified utilization of nuclear energy technology, build a "China Nuclear Valley" where technologies gather, industries gather and talents gather, and create a demonstration area for integration and application of nuclear energy technologies. The science and technology demonstration projects will help the construction of Shandong's green, low-carbon and high-quality development pilot zone, and serve for overall natioanl development. (Source: Shandong Provincial People's Government Website)

On March 6, 2023, the international standard "Reactor Technology-Nuclear Fusion Reactor-Nuclear Fusion Reactor High-temperature Hot Helium Leak Detection Method for Pressure-Containing Components" (ISO 4233: 2023) was officially released. Its preparation was organized by the CNNC, led by the Southwest Institute of Physics of CNNC, and participated by the Institute of Nuclear Industry Standardization of China Nuclear Strategic Planning Research Institute. This standard is not only China's first international standard in the field of nuclear fusion, but also the first international standard in the field of nuclear fusion issued by ISO. The issuance of the standard has effectively enhanced China's influence in the international nuclear fusion field, helps fill in the gaps of ISO standards in nuclear fusion, and created a new situation in the international fusion standardization work. (Source: CNNC)

On February 27, 2023, the "120keV-520 mA Electronic Curtain Accelerator" independently developed by CGN Nuclear Technology Development Co., Ltd. passed expert appraisal. Mr. Chai Zhifang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Radiation Protection, served as the director of the appraisal expert committee. It marks the formal appraisal acceptance of the China's first high-power electronic curtain accelerator. Compared with the traditional technical route, this equipment is of low energy consumption, low curing cost and high efficiency. It can be used for China's Electron Beam Curing, film modification, textile grafting, disinfection and sterilization, and other industries with considerable economic value, social and ecological benefit. (News Source: China General Nuclear Power Group CO., LTD.)

Recently, "Research and Development and Demonstration Application of Underwater Detection Robot System for Large-diameter and Long Diversion Tunnel" in the National Key Research and Development Program "Intelligent Robot" key project led by CGN Research Institute Co., Ltd. completed the demonstration application in the diversion tunnel of the Jinping II Hydropower Station on the Yalong River. All performance indicators of the robot meet the requirements of on-site engineering inspection. In the demonstration application of the diversion tunnel of Jinping II Hydropower Station, by designing an immersive virtual drill platform with integrating multi-sensor information, the robot was guided to complete dynamic collision avoidance, directional navigation and precise positioning in achieving high-precision, high-efficiency, full-coverage water unmanned intelligent patrol inspection. It has effectively improved the identification and positioning accuracy of defects, and greatly enhanced the efficiency of underwater inspection operations. Finally, an underwater inspection with a depth of 30 meters and a length of 3 kilometers was successfully completed in the diversion tunnel of Jinping II Hydropower Station , creating a new record of similar inspection test in China. (News Source: China General Nuclear Power Group CO., LTD.)

People's Daily Network Beijing, February 11, 2023 -- In order to enhance the core competitiveness of the atomic energy industry and better play the role of metrology in technical support for the atomic energy industry development, the State Administration for Market Regulation recently approved the establishment of a national atomic energy industry measurement testing center relying on the China Institute of Atomic Energy. It is known that the atomic energy industry is an emerging industry covering the production and recycling of nuclear fuel, nuclear energy, and nuclear technology applications. It is also a high-tech strategic industry related to national security and the lifeline of the national economy. (News Source: www.people.com.cn)

On February 21, 2023, the inner dome of the unit 3 of Huaneng Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Phase II Project was hoisted into place, marking the complete transition of the unit from the civil construction stage to the installation stage. The inner dome of the Unit 3 of Huaneng Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Phase II Project is located on the top of the nuclear island reactor building. It is the top head of the containment steel lining and a key component of the third safety barrier of the unit. It is of great significance to ensure the integrity and sealing of the reactor building, and to achieve the goal of environmental safety. (News Source: China Huaneng Group CO., LTD.)

At 9:30 am on February 17, 2023, the outer dome hoisting of the first batch unit of "Hualong No. 1" located in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province was completed. The steel lining of the outer dome hoisted this time is the main steel structure, located on the top of the nuclear island,which is a multi-curved composite shell with a diameter of about 55 meters and a height of about 13 meters. It consists of five floors with a total of 89 prefabricated unit components. Its main function is to act as the concrete framework on top of the outer dome. The inner dome of the unit has been hoisted in October 2021. (News source: CCTV News)