my country's first independently designed nuclear power plant has been generating electricity safely for 30 years

"Independent innovation is the soul of the development of the nuclear industry. Only by relying on independent innovation can we solve core technological problems; only by mastering core technologies can we achieve sustainable development of the nuclear industry and firmly grasp the destiny of national security and career development in our own hands." Looking back on the development history of Qinshan Nuclear Power Station over the past 30 years, Ye Qizhen, chief designer of Qinshan Phase II of CNNC and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was filled with emotion.

On December 15, China National Nuclear Corporation's Qinshan Nuclear Power Station achieved 30 years of safe operation. Over the past 30 years, the people of Qinshan have written a brilliant chapter of "national glory" with the spirit of hard work, and with their persistence in independent innovation, they have made this place the "cradle" of my country's nuclear power industry, continuously nourishing the development of China's nuclear power industry.

Created a precedent for my country's independent design and construction of nuclear power plants

At 0:15 on December 15, 1991, the East China Power Grid General Dispatcher issued a command to allow the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant to generate electricity. Wang Riqing, the senior operator and the chief of the main control room, held up the microphone and announced loudly that the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant would be connected to the grid soon, and then issued a command. Afterwards, the operator Zhang Chuming pressed the start button, and the number representing the power generation on the dashboard continued to rise, and thunderous applause and cheers rang out at the scene.

Qinshan Nuclear Power Station is the first nuclear power station in my country to be independently designed, built, operated and managed. At that time, the international community blocked the technology of peaceful use of nuclear energy and there was little first-hand material to draw on. From technical data to equipment manufacturing, the builders started almost from scratch, started from scratch and worked hard to achieve a historic leap from "nothing to something" for nuclear power stations on the mainland of my country.

The completion and operation of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station not only fills the gap in my country's nuclear power industry, but also lays a solid foundation for the future development and growth of China's nuclear power.

Nuclear power operators are also called "golden men" because the cost of training them is equivalent to the value of one person's height in gold.

"I was less than 20 years old when I came to Qinshan and have worked here for 18 years." Miao Yamin, one of the first 35 nuclear power operators in mainland my country and now the Party Secretary and Chairman of CNNC Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant, said that he has dedicated the best years of his youth to Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant and has no regrets in his life.

In addition to training the first batch of 35 operators, during the construction and operation process, Qinshan Nuclear Power also exported about 100 nuclear power executives and more than 2,500 technical backbones, including 2 academician experts.

Today, the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station has become China's nuclear power base with the largest number of nuclear power units, the most diverse reactor types, and the most complete nuclear power operation and management talents.

Taking the first step of China's nuclear power "going global"

The Qinshan Nuclear Power Station not only pioneered my country's independent development of nuclear power, but also took the first step in China's nuclear power "going global".

16 days after the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant was successfully connected to the grid, my country signed an agreement with Pakistan to cooperate in the construction of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan, marking China's official entry into the ranks of nuclear power exporters and accumulating rich experience for China's nuclear power "going global".

In June 2008, during the overhaul of the C-1 unit of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant, He Shaohua, chief technician of China National Nuclear Corporation from Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, led his team to complete the difficult underwater repair task of the reactor internals ten days ahead of schedule, directly saving tens of millions of RMB. Pakistan praised him as a "real engineer". Not only that, the successful application of the underwater repair of the C-1 unit also filled the gap in underwater maintenance technology for my country's nuclear power plants.

On May 20th this year, local time, the first overseas Hualong One project, the Karachi Nuclear Power Unit 2 (K-2) in Pakistan, officially entered commercial operation. Qinshan Nuclear Power, as the joint commissioning and trial operation manager, also played an important role in it.

Comprehensive utilization to benefit the people

Today, Qinshan Nuclear Power's business is no longer limited to nuclear power.

On April 1, 2019, the first medical cobalt target in China was successfully irradiated and discharged from the Unit 1 of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Phase III Heavy Water Reactor, marking that my country has successfully mastered the production technology of medical cobalt-60 radioactive sources, breaking the situation where medical cobalt-60 was previously completely dependent on imports. "We have waited for this moment for a long time." The relevant person in charge at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station was full of emotion. Not long ago, gamma knife equipment in Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Chengdu West China Hospital and other hospitals were equipped with domestic medical cobalt-60.

In addition, the first nuclear energy heating energy-saving engineering demonstration project in the south jointly built by Qinshan Nuclear Power and Haiyan County was also completed and put into operation recently. It is planned to achieve a nuclear energy heating area of ​​4 million square meters by 2025, covering the main urban area of ​​Haiyan and the entire territory of Yanpu Town, becoming a "Southern Nuclear Energy Heating Demonstration Window" and bringing cleaner warmth to the Jiangnan land.

◎ Science and Technology Daily intern reporter Du Peng

Source: Science and Technology Daily

Editor: Liu Yiyang

Reviewer: Wang Xiaolong

Final review: Liu Haiying