The approval of new nuclear power construction projects in China has been further advanced. At present, four nuclear power units (Zhangzhou 1/2 and Huizhou 1/2) are being submitted for approval. This is the resumption of the approval of new nuclear power units after three years of stagnation. Instrument and instrument companies that produce nuclear grade instruments and important non-nuclear grade instruments are expected to be the biggest beneficiaries of this new cycle of nuclear power construction.

Nuclear approval has stalled since 2015, when eight nuclear power units were approved. With the rapid development of Chinese urban construction and economy, the pattern of supply and demand of domestic power has been transformed. In some areas, the supply of electricity during the peak period began to be tight. Coal power has been difficult to provide sufficient increment after supply-side reform, while nuclear power has become the priority option to meet the energy demand because of its characteristics of high efficiency, clean and safety.

According to the 13th Five-Year Plan for Electric Power Development issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, about 30 million kilowatts of nuclear power will be put into production during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with construction exceeding 30 million kilowatts and the installed capacity reaching the target of 58 million kilowatts by 2020. The resumption of the approval of new nuclear power units will start a new round of growth in the nuclear power industry and the demand for related nuclear power instrumentation.

Nuclear power is one of the key forces to promote the transformation of our energy structure at present and realize clean energy utilization. In the vigorous development of nuclear power industry, nuclear power instrumentation is indispensable, which is the key equipment to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. The commonly used instruments in nuclear power plants include temperature meters, flow meters, pressure meters, liquid level meters, vibration measurement, displacement measurement and other mechanical parameters measuring instruments, as well as the main steam isolation valve, explosion valve and other key valves used in the construction process of nuclear power plants, in addition to the large control system (DCS) to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power industry is related to national strategy. Facing the changing international situation, the localization of nuclear power key instruments is becoming more and more important. The localization of key instruments and meters of nuclear power is a system engineering with higher difficulty. It is an important technical guarantee for the development of safer, efficient and digital nuclear power plants to promote the localization of nuclear instruments and meters and important non-nuclear instruments and meters.

Nuclear power instrumentation is an important part of nuclear power equipment. Nuclear power equipment manufacturing has been listed as a priority development theme in key areas in the Outline of the National Plan for Medium - and Long-term Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020) issued by The State Council. In recent years, under the guideline of "independent development nuclear power", the domestic nuclear power equipment has made great progress and accumulated much valuable experience.

In order to further enhance the technical capability of nuclear power instrumentation and achieve breakthroughs in more key technologies of nuclear power instrumentation, the National Nuclear Power Instrumentation Industry Measurement and Testing Center was established in Shanghai on December 2, 2018. The Center will take acceptance as a new starting point, in accordance with the overall strategic requirements of the national development of modern industry, guided by the development needs of the nuclear power instrumentation industry, with the mission of serving and supporting the industrial development, better serve the traceability chain, the whole industrial chain and the whole life cycle of the nuclear power instrumentation industry, and achieve the promotion, support and lead of industrial innovation and development. Help our nuclear power instrument quality improvement, localization and independent innovation.

The restart of new nuclear power projects and the requirement of increasing the localization rate of nuclear power equipment provide a rare opportunity for the development of nuclear power instrumentation. Instrument and meter enterprises should grasp the opportunity, expand the capacity, in order to adapt to the new nuclear power construction mode, make the nuclear power instrument and meter equipment manufacturing industrialization, improve the technical level and the domestic level, and make up the key technologies short board, to help the safe development of our nuclear power industry.

(The content of this article is from China Instrument Network)