The Hualong One, China's first domestically developed nuclear reactor was powered up, a significant step in Beijing's attempts to become less dependent on Western allies for energy security and critical technology was successful. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has said the nuclear reactor that was connected to the national grid, can generate 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year and helps to cut carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons.
CNNC statement said, "This marks China breaking the monopoly of foreign nuclear power technology and officially entering the technology's first batch of advanced countries". According to the National Energy Administration, of the China's annual electricity needs in 2019 less than five percent was supplied by the Nuclear plants. But the contribution will grow as China attempts to become carbon neutral by 2060. The Reduction in the country's dependence on Western allies in critical high-tech sectors such as power generation is a key goal in Beijing's "Made in China 2025" plan.
Work on the Hualong One reactor started in 2015, six more reactors are under construction at home and abroad, state-owned plant operator CNNC said. The Hualong One, deployed at a plant in east China's Fujian province, will be put into commercial use by the end of the year after the completion of undergoing tests. China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts the world's third highest after the United States and France. In its struggles to wean its economy from coal China has invested billions of dollars to develop its nuclear energy sector.
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