During French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to China, following talks with China’s President Xi Jinping, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to “promoting the safe development of nuclear energy and strengthening collaboration across the nuclear energy industry chain”.
A total of 12 agreements were signed covering issues ranging from higher education and nuclear energy to panda conservation. China’s Foreign Ministry quoted President Xi Jinping as saying one of four areas where the two countries will work together is “strengthening traditional partnerships” in aeronautics, space and civil nuclear energy, and wider cooperation in emerging fields including the green economy, the digital economy, biomedicine and artificial intelligence.
French-Chinese cooperation in nuclear energy is based on 40 years of collaboration, including construction, technology transfer, and shared R&D, although some recent projects have seen Chinese involvement scaled back. Key areas include:
- The Daya Bay NPP built with French technology and expertise in the 1980s;
- The Taishan NPP, a joint venture between France’s EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) involving in the construction of two European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) units;
- Hinkley Point C in the UK in which CGN holds a minority stake (25%) for the construction of two EPR reactors.
- CGN was a minority partner in the development phase of the UK Sizewell C NPP and was to lead development a HPR1000 reactor (Hualong One), with EDF as a minority partner at the proposed Bradwell NPP. However, Chinese involvement in the UK has been scaled back due to changes in UK foreign policy.
- France and China have established a framework for R&D through a network of seven dedicated collaborative laboratories overseen by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
- French company Orano (formerly Areva) and Chinese partners such as CNNC have collaborated on research related to uranium resources and securing a stable, resilient supply chain.
- Negotiations for a large-scale, commercial used fuel reprocessing and recycling plant in China, based on Orano’s technology, have been ongoing for over a decade. Discussions between Orano and CNNC are still in their “final stage”.
- China and France are joint participants in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in southern France.
On this basis a Joint Declaration was signed during Macron’s visit on continuing advancement of cooperation in the field of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
China and France agreed that “nuclear energy, as a clean, low-carbon, stable and reliable base-load energy, plays a unique and important role in addressing global challenges such as climate change and energy security”.
They welcomed the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy signed by the two countries in May 1997, as well as industrial and scientific and technological cooperation in the framework of the protocol on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy signed in November 1982.
They agreed that nuclear energy cooperation was an important element of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France. On the basis of the successful cooperation already in place, they will continue to provide feedback on their experiences and exchange technology in the construction and operation management of third-generation pressurised water reactor nuclear power units, life extension of existing NPPs, clean-up and decommissioning of permanently closed NPPs and radioactive waste management.
They agreed that technological innovation was an important way of improving the safety and economy of nuclear energy and that they would give full play to the role of existing cooperation projects and continue their cooperation in research and development on technological innovation in nuclear energy. They would “explore ways of developing small modular reactors, the application of artificial intelligence technologies (especially through the digitisation and automation of manufacturing processes) and peaceful uses other than electricity production (heat, medical radioisotopes) and other directions for the possibility of implementing new cooperation projects”.
They recognised that coordination and cooperation in the fields of nuclear fuel supply, nuclear power equipment manufacturing and uranium resource security are essential to ensure the stability of the nuclear energy industry chain and supply chain. They will work together to ensure safe, reliable and sustainable disposal of used fuel and radioactive waste. They reaffirmed their joint commitment to promoting the safe development of nuclear energy, strengthening collaboration in the nuclear energy industry chain and jointly safeguarding its resilience.
They recognised that nuclear fusion energy is an important development direction for the peaceful use of nuclear energy … and an important option for the future availability of abundant zero-carbon energy, and will continue to participate in ITER.
They stressed that the maintenance and strengthening of nuclear safety and security efforts is essential for the sustainable development of nuclear energy “and are ready to further strengthen the exchange of experience and technical cooperation on nuclear safety and security between their government departments, regulatory authorities and relevant technical support units, and to work together to address risks and challenges in this field”.
They stressed that the scientific, technological and industrial development of nuclear energy requires sustainable and adequate training of skilled personnel of a professional nature and “are ready to continue to cooperate in education and training and in the training of talents so as to build a solid talent base for the sustainable development of nuclear energy in both countries”.
They reaffirmed their commitment to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, in particular to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and stressed their support for the IAEA “subject to the availability of funds and compliance with their respective domestic legal requirements”.
The Parties undertook to support the development of international nuclear energy and to achieve a low carbonisation of the energy mix in accordance with their international obligations on nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation.
As part of its commitment to accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality, China endorsed the declaration proposed by France to triple global nuclear energy between 2020 and 2050.
Also, during the visit, China’s National Atomic Energy Agency (CAEA) and the French Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) signed their fifteenth protocol on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Under the protocol, the parties will strengthen cooperation on basic nuclear research, nuclear technology applications, fusion technology, the development of nuclear energy markets in third countries, the management of the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste, nuclear security and nuclear emergency, and the training of nuclear professionals.
