From there, He says his company developed a close partnership with EDF based on trust and an understanding of each other's technologies.

Chain reaction

CGN went on to construct the second phase of the Fangchenggang nuclear power station in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The plant uses the Hualong One, which was jointly developed by CGN and China National Nuclear Corp.

The reactor's core technology, ACP1000, passed the International Atomic Energy Agency's generic reactor safety review in December 2014, signifying that the technology is safe for international export.

He Yu says CGN is in talks to export the reactor to Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic, while negotiations with Romania are at an advanced stage, with an announcement on a joint venture expected this year.

It is now hoped Hualong One will become only the second or third reactor to pass Britain's general design assessment, joining the European Pressurized Reactor, which will be used at Hickley Point. Westinghouse's AP1000, a technology from the United States, is still awaiting approval.

"Once Hualong One passes the British assessment, it will boost more countries' confidence and push forward the reactor's global market development," He says.

CGN established a project department in February 2015 to work on the regulatory process for the assessment. Technical preparations were finished in July.

If the Chinese reactor is used at Bradwell, He says CGN will be the majority stakeholder in the project, holding a 66.5 percent share. "It means we'll bear responsibility, and our returns will be higher," he adds.

He emphasizes that CGN aims to "use British talent to build a British power plant" by boosting its UK branch with local recruits and incorporating British nuclear industry supply chain companies into its Hualong One technology during the localization process.

As Britain does not have its own third-generation nuclear technology, these firms are keen to cooperate with CGN, with a view to securing more deals when the Chinese company starts to build reactors in other developed countries. Companies likely to be interested include Rolls-Royce, Centronic and Delta Controls.

He Yu, who graduated from North China Electric Power University, joined CGN in 1986. He was part of the first wave of "golden talent" in the nuclear industry who were sent to France for further training.

On his return, he trained younger nuclear professionals, and he says proudly that skilled and innovative people are one of the reasons why China's nuclear industry is so competitive.

"If I belong to the golden generation, then our young executives must represent the diamond generation," he says.

He recalls when he supervised the Daya Bay project and allocated two French trainers to assess students: "I gave them the job because they didn't know any of the students, so they could dismiss those who weren't good enough in a fair and objective way. That is a demonstration of how strict we are on talent education."

In addition, CGN has kept up a tradition over the years of sending executives abroad for graduate degree training. The move familiarizes them with global practices and norms, and paves the way for the internationalization of China's nuclear technology, He says.

"Our objective is to provide clean energy, and because China has more than three decades of experience in the nuclear industry, we want to take these valuable experiences global."

cecily.liu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/07/2016 page27)