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)

On February 2, 2023, Beijing time, Pakistan held the inauguration ceremony of Unit 3 (K-3) completion of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. So far, two 1000 MWe units，Hualong No.1, the China's nuclear power major innovation achievement and independent third-generation nuclear power exported to Pakistan, were officially delivered to Pakistan after being completed and put into operation. The Karachi K-2/K-3 are the largest nuclear power units in Pakistan, and are also the first single-unit 1000 MWe power project in Pakistan. On May 20, 2021, the K-2 unit officially entered commercial operation. On April 18, 2022, the K-3 unit successfully past provisional acceptance. (News source: China National Nuclear Corporation)

French utility EDF's new CEO, Luc Remont, has confirmed a nuclear output target of 300 TWh to 330 TWh this year after output plunged 23% in 2022 to 279 TWh. The 82 TWh deficit, largely due to stress corrosion outages at a dozen reactors, forced the utility to buy back lost volumes at record high prices in the market, prompting a Eur3.6 billion financial net loss for the year, annual results data showed Feb. 17. "The 2022 results were significantly affected by the decline in our electricity output, and also by exceptional regulatory measures introduced in France in difficult market conditions," Remont said. Remont added that 2022 also confirmed the new impetus for nuclear in France as well as accelerated expansion for renewable energies. French power prices meanwhile have shed most of their extreme risk premiums that saw winter contracts trade above Eur1,000/MWh for much of autumn 2022 as gas prices eased, while EDF managed to return reactors. French reactor availability briefly reached 46 out of 56 reactors on Feb. 9, but is set to fall to 41 by Feb. 18 with annual maintenance at six reactors underway, while some long-term outages have been extended into spring. Analysts at S&P Global Commodity Insights forecast 2023 output at 318 TWh, rising to 340 TWh in 2024. Stress corrosion The new CEO aims to return the company back to profitability with 2023 focus on a "gradual exit from the crisis of stress corrosion" after 2022 output was the lowest since 1988. The issue mainly impacts EDF's 16 more modern reactors (four N4 units with 1.5 GW capacity each and twelve P4 reactors with 1.3 GW). EDF in January restarted the Civaux-1 reactor, where the issue was first detected in 2021 and has completed repairs on a few others units gradually returning. The company referred to its Dec. 16 statement as the latest technical update on the repair program, but has delayed a number of scheduled returns since.Focus in 2023 will be on checks and repairs at six units not yet treated for the issue (Belleville 1 and 2, Cattenom 2, Golfech 2, Nogent 1 and 2). EDF also delayed the start of fuel-loading for its new Flamaville-3 reactor to Q1 2024. Analysts at S&P Global expects start of commercial operations only in Q1 2025. Construction for the first new French reactor in a generation started in 2007. The reactor was planned to start in 2018 when President Emmanuel Macron took power in 2017. France also plans to accelerate the development of six new EPR2 reactors with almost 10 GW capacity and a target date around 2035. Green growth EDF commissioned some 3.6 GW new renewables in 2022 including France's first offshore wind farm (480 MW offshore Saint Nazaire) and achieved first power from the world's largest solar power plant (2 GW Al Dhafrah in the UAE), it said. Its wind and solar project pipeline grew by 12% to 85 GW gross including the 1.5-GW New York Bight offshore wind project. EDF's net installed wind and solar capacity rose 10% to 13.2 GW by end-2022, it said. Meanwhile, French hydro output fell 22% on the year to 32.4 TWh as French hydro fell to its lowest since 1976 amid drought conditions that started to eased in Q4. In Great Britain, EDF increased 2022 nuclear production by 5% to 43.6 TWh. French front-month power prices have fallen to a discount to UK month-ahead prices last assessed Feb. 16 at GBP137.55/MWh (Eur154.72/MWh).

1、General Secretary Xi Jinping listing of achievements included nuclear power technology shows that China has entered the ranks of innovative countries On January 24, 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the 36th collective study of the Party Politburo on striving to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, pointing out the active, safe and orderly development of nuclear power. On October 16, 2022, in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping elaborated on 10 major achievements, including nuclear power technology, indicating that China has entered the ranks of innovative countries.

On November 1, 2022, the nuclear energy heating demonstration project of Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant was officially put into operation, starting to supply steam.. This project is the first nuclear energy heating project in Northeast China, covering Hongyanhe Town, Wafangdian, Dalian City, benefiting nearly 20,000 local residents. The project is located in Hongyanhe Town, Wafangdian, Dalian City, with a planned heating area of 242,400 square meters and a maximum heating load of 12.77MW. The steams are extracted from the steam turbine of Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant as a heat source so that the original 12 coal-fired boilers are replaced to realize clean heating in Hongyanhe Town. It is estimated that after the project is put into operation, it will reduce the consumption of standard coal by 5,726 tons per year, reduce carbon dioxide by 14,100 tons, soot by more than 209 tons, sulfur dioxide by more than 60 tons, nitrogen oxides by more than 85 tons, and ash slag by 2,621 tons. (Source: China General Nuclear Power Group)

On October 28, 2022, the China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd (CNNP) issued an announcement that the CNNP plans to jointly invest with Donghua Energy Co., Ltd. to establish CNNC Donghua Maoming Green Energy Co., Ltd (Tentative name, the official name shall be subject to approval of the industrial and commercial registration ). This project will serve as the main body of construction and operation of Maoming Green Energy Project, a new development concept model engineering project coupled by CNNC high-temperature gas-cooled reactor and petrochemical industry. The CNNP intends to invest 255 million yuan to hold a 51% stake in Maoming Green Energy. (Source: Flush Finance)