During his visit to Europe, President Xi Jinping strongly promoted China's nuclear power “going global”. On the afternoon of the 26th local time in Paris, France, He Yu, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group, and Proglio, President of Électricité de France, signed an agreement in Paris to strengthen nuclear energy cooperation.

　　According to the signed agreement, CGN will participate through equity investment in the development and construction of EDF's proposed new nuclear power project in the UK. This move opens a new model of China-France nuclear power cooperation and is the first time the two countries jointly develop a nuclear power project in a third country.

　　China and France to Build New Nuclear Power in the UK for the First Time

　　It is reported that the agreement fully reflects the consensus reached by the Chinese and French governments in 2013 to deepen cooperation oriented toward jointly developing third-country nuclear power markets and strengthen cooperation in technological innovation, marking that China-France nuclear energy cooperation has entered a brand-new stage.

　　According to the signed agreement, CGN will participate through equity investment in the development and construction of EDF's proposed new nuclear power project in the UK. The two sides will jointly promote the development of subsequent new nuclear power projects in the UK led by CGN with Chinese nuclear power enterprises holding controlling stakes. Under the previously signed global partnership agreement and the memorandum of understanding implementation agreement, the two sides will strengthen cooperation in nuclear power technology R&D, cooperation in nuclear power engineering project design and equipment procurement, and cooperation in the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants in operation, so as to further improve the capabilities and performance of both sides in nuclear power engineering design, plant design, construction, procurement, and operation management.

　　Nuclear Power “Going Global” Becomes National Strategy

　　During the Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands, President Xi Jinping proposed in a meeting with British Prime Minister Cameron to build highly demonstrative “flagship projects” in nuclear power and other fields.

　　Previously, Premier Li Keqiang also promoted China's nuclear power multiple times during state visits at the end of last year, and nuclear power “going global” has become a national strategy. In this year's government work report, promoting nuclear power and other technological equipment to go abroad was written in for the first time; at the same time, initiated by He Yu, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group, 11 members of the CPPCC National Committee jointly submitted a proposal titled “Accelerate the Promotion of ‘Hualong One’ Going Global and Realize the Nuclear Power ‘Powerhouse Dream’ at an Early Date.” Other members include Zhu Zhixin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Jin Yang, Deputy Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

　　“Facing the vast global nuclear power market, China's nuclear power ‘going global’ has both internal motivation and practical capability,” said He Yu. After 30 years of development, China's nuclear power has fully achieved the “four independences” of independent design, independent manufacturing, independent construction, and independent operation, and the scale of nuclear power and the capacity of the entire industrial chain have achieved leapfrog improvement.

　　The cooperation between CGN and EDF began more than 30 years ago with the construction of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant. At present, Phase I of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, jointly invested by both sides, is the largest cooperation project in the energy field between the two countries.

　　According to the agreement signed by China and France on the 26th, the two governments will encourage industrial enterprises and institutional departments of the two countries, within the framework agreed by the two governments and on the basis of strictly following the highest standards of safety, reliability, and environmental protection, to advance comprehensive cooperation in the upstream, midstream, and downstream fields of nuclear energy.

　　It is introduced that CGN has grown into the world's largest nuclear power builder and China's largest nuclear power operator, undertaking the construction of nearly a quarter of the world's new nuclear power units.