context: US and French standards have long dominated China's nuclear power industry. Developing a unified and self-designed standard system is critical for creating China's independent nuclear power brand and exporting its nuclear technology.
State Council issued 'Guiding opinions on promoting standards in the nuclear power sector' on 9 August 2018, aiming to
- by 2019, develop a unified and self-designed nuclear power standard system that is in keeping with the country's overall nuclear power development
- by 2020, substantially increase the proportion of self-designed standards adopted by the nation's independently developed nuclear projects, and significantly improve international recognition of China's standards
- by 2027, play a leading role in developing international nuclear power standards
Key tasks include
- improving self-designed standards, with a special focus on mechanical components of pressurised water reactor (PWR) nuclear islands that are crucial for strengthening nuclear safety
- optimising standard structure, which should include general and specialised standards
- improving policies and regulations relevant to the nuclear power projects, and incorporating the adoption of self-designed standards into the assessment of nuclear power projects
- improving standard verification and setting up a mechanism to review the implementation of the standards
- deepening international cooperation
- establishing a platform to facilitate informatisation in nuclear standardisation process and promoting talent development
- conducting research on nuclear power standardisation
As of now, around 900 nuclear power standards have been issued, covering the entire life cycle of nuclear power plants, according to National Energy Administration. The country also aims to raise nuclear power generation capacity to 88 GW by 2020.