Do you know about nuclear power? Highlight the attributes of nuclear power people and help build a beautiful China

The "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China" was recently released, making systematic arrangements for comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China in the new era and new journey. The construction of Beautiful China emphasizes that the construction of ecological civilization should be placed in a prominent position and integrated into all aspects and processes of economic, political, cultural and social construction. In addition to realizing the beauty of the natural environment, Beautiful China should also achieve a beautiful situation of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The goal of Beautiful China is not only an objective existence, but also a spiritual feeling. In terms of nuclear and radiation safety, the author believes that the following measures can be used to further highlight the people's attributes of nuclear power and contribute to the construction of a beautiful China.

Intensify the popularization of nuclear power science and improve the people's sense of security.Nuclear power is a clean energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases during power generation, so it can reduce pollution to the environment. In contrast, conventional thermal power emits large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. The low-carbon nature of nuclear power makes it an important means to achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. By using nuclear power, we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and lower our carbon footprint.

However, due to the high energy density of nuclear energy, the inability to perceive rays, and the major impact caused by several nuclear accidents in the world, people do not know much about nuclear power, and even have prejudices. Therefore, it is necessary to widely disseminate nuclear science knowledge to improve the public's awareness of nuclear energy and increase the public's trust in nuclear energy, so as to promote the development and application of nuclear energy. Through nuclear science popularization activities, it can also stimulate the public's interest in nuclear science and improve people's scientific literacy. In addition, public supervision and feedback will also help to better regulate the development and utilization of nuclear energy, improve the safety management of nuclear facilities, and improve the level of nuclear and radiation safety.

Promote the multi-purpose development of nuclear power and improve the people's sense of gain.Nuclear energy can be used in many aspects closely related to people's daily production and life, such as heat supply and hydrogen production. Nuclear heating is the use of nuclear energy heating convection heat exchange system to transport heat to heat users to achieve the purpose of heat supply. Compared with traditional fossil energy heating, nuclear heating can reduce environmental pollution and has higher energy efficiency. Nuclear hydrogen production refers to the use of nuclear energy to crack water vapor to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier that can be used in industry, transportation, energy conversion and other fields, and can also be used to produce high value-added chemical products such as ammonia, methanol, etc.

In addition, nuclear energy can also be used in desalination, industrial heating and other fields. In the field of desalination, nuclear energy can be used to heat seawater and separate fresh water, solving the problem of water scarcity. In the field of industrial heating, nuclear energy can be used to replace traditional fossil fuel heating to reduce environmental pollution. In general, as a clean and efficient energy source, nuclear energy can be used in a variety of application scenarios, providing more convenience and benefits for human production and life, and improving people's sense of happiness and gain.

Promote the positive and orderly development of nuclear power and improve the people's sense of identity.The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that it is necessary to actively develop nuclear power in a safe and orderly manner. This major strategic deployment will continue to optimize the structure of China's energy industry, help achieve the "dual carbon" goal as scheduled, and provide an important guarantee for building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In 2022, China's total installed nuclear power capacity accounted for 2.2% of the country's total installed power capacity, and the power generation capacity was 417.78 billion kWh, an increase of 2.5% year-on-year, accounting for about 4.7% of the country's total power generation, and nuclear power generation reached the second place in the world. It is estimated that by 2035, China's nuclear power generation is expected to account for about 10%, which can reduce about 920 million tons of carbon dioxide. In order to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, by 2060, China's installed nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 400 million kilowatts, and the proportion of power generation will reach about 18%, close to the average level of developed countries. The White Paper on Nuclear Security in China points out that as the largest developing country, China has always regarded safety as the lifeline of nuclear energy development, and is committed to the peaceful use of nuclear energy to make up for the gap in energy demand and respond to the challenge of climate change on the premise of ensuring safety. Therefore, the key to the development of nuclear power is to be healthy and orderly, to ensure the bottom line of safety, and to improve the people's sense of identity.

Promote the independent technology of nuclear power and improve the pride of the people.Nuclear power is an important tool of the country, and independent nuclear power technology will help promote domestic technology development and talent training. Nuclear power is an efficient and reliable energy source, which can provide a stable power supply for the country, alleviate energy pressure, and promote economic development.

Nuclear power technology is a complex system engineering, involving cutting-edge technologies in many fields, including material science, engineering design, electronic technology, etc., in the process of research and development, it is necessary to continuously break through the technical bottleneck and promote scientific and technological innovation. The R&D and application of independent nuclear power technology can improve the country's scientific and technological level and international competitiveness, and enhance the country's economic strength and influence. This process requires a large amount of human resource investment, which can also drive the development of related industries, create more employment opportunities, and cultivate a group of high-quality scientific and technological talents. Therefore, it is necessary to vigorously promote the research and development, optimization and upgrading of independent third- and fourth-generation nuclear power technologies such as "Hualong No. 1" and "Guohe No. 1" and small modular reactors, and promote a number of industrial upgrading through the research and development of independent nuclear power technology, so as to form an independent nuclear power brand and improve the people's national self-confidence and pride.

Author's Affilications:Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, Ministry of Ecology and Environment