User:Zhiheng Pan2022/Nuclear power in China

1950-1958
In the Cold War, the initial motivation of developing nuclear power for Beijing was largely due to security purposes. Between 1950 to 1958, Chinese nuclear power construction heavily relied on cooperation with the USSR. The first initiative was launched with the establishment of the China-Soviet Union Nonferrous Metals and Rare Metals Corporation and the first central atomic research facility, the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. In February 1955, a chemical separation plant for the production of weapons-grade U-235 and plutonium was created with Soviet aid in Xinjiang and in April the Changchun Institute of Atomic Energy was established. Several months later, on April 29, 1955, a "Sino-Soviet Atomic Cooperation Treaty" was signed. In addition to the cooperation with the USSR, China has started to learn nuclear technology by sending students to the USSR. In December 1958, nuclear power development had become the top priority project in the "Draft Twelve Year Plan for Development of Science and Technology."

1959-1963
The second phase is characterized by the aim of having completely self-sufficient in nuclear power development. In June 1959, the USSR officially ended any forms of nuclear aid to China, withdrawing Soviet technicians. China was suffered but continued nuclear power development by massive research and input. In order to rapidly strengthen its atomic energy industry, the Central Committee decided that China must dedicate further resources exclusively to nuclear-related activities. Consequently, the Institute of Atomic Energy created branch institutes of research organizations in every province, major city, and autonomous region. By the end of 1963, China has built more than forty chemical separation plants for the extraction of uranium and thorium. In the year between 1961 to 1962, China accomplished significant achievements in nuclear development which consolidates future applications. From 1959 to 1963, a gaseous diffusion plant utilizing a large 300 MW reactor was under construction at Lanzhou. It was estimated that the Chinese invested over $1.5 billion in the construction of this plant.

1964-Present
After the explosive progress in the 1950s, Chinese nuclear development slowed down possibly because of Cultural Revolution so only one nuclear test took place in 1970. The first independently designed and built nuclear power plant, Qinshan Nuclear Power Station, was constructed in 1984 and successfully connected to the grid on December 15, 1991. Along with Chinese economic reform, China continued to demand expansion of its electricity sectors. As part of China’s tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), a key part of energy policy is to "guarantee energy security, optimize energy mix, improve energy efficiency, protect the ecological environment.” By the end of December 2020, the total number of nuclear power units in operation on the Chinese mainland reached 49, with a total installed capacity of 50.99 million kilowatts, ranking third in the world in terms of installed capacity and second in the world in terms of power generation in 2020; with 16 nuclear power units under construction, the number of units under construction and installed capacity have ranked first in the world for many years.