As of the end of August 2021, the Chinese mainland had 51 nuclear power units in operation, with an installed capacity of 53.26 million kW, Lei Zengguang, chief engineer of CNNC, said at the first CNNC Science and Technology Innovation and Development Forum held on Monday. There are 18 nuclear power units under construction with an installed capacity of 19.02 million kW, leading the world in the number of units under construction.

"Nuclear innovation is a major economic battleground." Lei Zengguang introduced that after more than 30 years of independent innovation, China's nuclear energy development has made great progress. By the end of 2020, China's major nuclear projects of large advanced pressurized water reactors and high temperature gas-cooled reactors continue to advance steadily; Major progress was made in the autonomous third-generation nuclear power generation model. The first Hualong 1 reactor demonstration project was connected to the grid to generate electricity, and the Guohe-1 was officially released. The construction of the demonstration project proceeded smoothly. The preliminary work of the small reactor demonstration project was carried out in an orderly manner; The research and development of the fourth generation nuclear energy technology is being accelerated. In 2021, the CPC Central Committee formally proposed the "active and orderly development of nuclear power on the basis of ensuring safety", and the development of nuclear energy officially entered a new historical stage.

Gu Jun, general manager of CNNC and deputy secretary of the CPC Leadership Group, stressed that to achieve the ambitious goal of reaching a carbon peak by 2030 and striving to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, China must rely on scientific and technological innovation, which is industry-wide, high-quality and high-speed. In this context, the importance of nuclear energy has become even more prominent. In the "double carbon" battle, there will be great achievements. The development of nuclear energy is not something we should do well, but something we must do well. He pointed out that China's nuclear industry must speed up to catch up with this round of scientific and technological revolution, industrial revolution, so that China's nuclear industry truly realize the transition from following and running to leading.

At present, CNNC has established a complete scientific and technological innovation system in the nuclear industry, with 23 research institutes and more than 150,000 nuclear industry personnel fighting in the front line of scientific research and production. In terms of hardware facilities, after years of national investment and independent investment by the group, it has 16 national R&D platforms, 8 minister-level R&D platforms and nearly 50 group-level R&D platforms, with a number of internationally advanced large-scale scientific research facilities.