The nuclear application has become a new growth factor in China's economy, Huang Guojin, deputy manager of China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), told a recent press conference.

Since the early 1980s, the nuclear industry has been expediting the process to change from military production to civilian application and becoming an important impetus for the national economy, according to Huang.

The industry, with 80 percent of the revenue coming from civilian application, has established a large number of enterprise groups covering over 1,500 products for civilian use, according to sources from CNNC.

Sources also indicate that 1,200 hospitals across the country have adopted isotope diagnosis and therapy effective for malignant diseases.

Still, the technology has been used in a wild variety ranging from breeding seeds, automatic fire alarm system, food preservation and antisepsis, mine prospecting, non-contact inspection devices and so on.

The nuclear technology for civilian use is benefiting people in every aspect if under secure operation, said Zhang Xiang, senior engineer with Development Center for Radiation Technology at Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei province.

The development of nuclear energy represents a major factor enabling the industry to introduce strategic adjustments focusing on civilian application, said the expert.

China is planning to provide central heating system using nuclear power in the city of Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning Province as an attempt to curb the worsening air pollution.

Currently, coal accounts for 75 percent of China's energy consumption, creating serious environmental problems nationwide.

Also, the country, plagued by the lack of clean and efficient energy, decided to spur the development of its own nuclear power plants.

So far, China has its huge projects like the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station in Zhejiang Province of East China and the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong Province of south China, both having exemplary safety records.

The power plants, with technologies imported from foreign countries, including France and Russia, have not only alleviated power shortages in east China and Guangdong, but have also supplied substantial quantities of power to Hong Kong.

Construction of second and third phase projects at Qinshan, and at the Ling'ao and Lianyungang nuclear power stations also is progressing smoothly.

In spite of that, the government is still earnest to develop advanced, safe, and economical nuclear reactors with its own intellectual property rights rather than merely relying on foreign technologies.

The country's nuclear power generating capacity is likely to reach 20 million kilowatts by the year 2010, with the figure expected to rise to 40 million kilowatts accounting for 5 percent of the nation's total power output by 2020.

(Xinhua 03/27/2001)