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China has ignited its first domestically developed nuclear reactor, the Hualong One, a significant step in Beijing’s attempts to become less dependent on Western allies for energy security and critical technology.
The reactor, which was connected to the national grid on Friday, can generate 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and reduce carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) .
“This marks China breaking the monopoly of foreign nuclear power technology and officially entering the first group of advanced technology countries,” CNNC said in a statement.
Nuclear plants supplied less than 5 percent of China’s annual electricity needs in 2019, according to the National Energy Administration, but this proportion is expected to grow as Beijing tries to become carbon neutral by 2060.
Reducing its reliance on Western allies in critical high-tech sectors such as power generation is a key goal in Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” plan.
Billions of dollars in state subsidies have been awarded to Chinese companies to speed up the process, a move that has angered China’s trading partners and sparked a protracted trade dispute with Washington.
Work on the Hualong One reactor began in 2015 and there are currently six other reactors under construction at home and abroad, the state-owned plant operator CNNC said.
The Hualong One, deployed at a plant in eastern China’s Fujian province, will be put into commercial use by the end of the year after undergoing tests.
China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generating capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts, the third highest in the world after the United States and France.
Beijing has invested billions of dollars to develop its nuclear power sector in recent years as it struggles to divert its economy from coal.
Thirteen nuclear plants are being built, more than in any other country, despite environmental and safety concerns.
In August 2016, officials were forced to shelve plans for a nuclear waste facility in Lianyungang, a city in eastern Jiangsu province, after a rare public outcry from thousands of residents.
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