Nuclear-grade zirconium sponge independently produced by China National Nuclear Corporation ready to be shipped to Russia in August, 2020 Photo: China National Nuclear Corporation

The first batch of nuclear-grade zirconium sponge independently produced by a Chinese company was recently shipped to Russia, it was announced on Monday by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on its official WeChat account.

For a long time, zirconium alloy material used for fuel assembly in domestic nuclear power plants depended on imports, according to CNNC.

This is the first time that China has sent nuclear-grade zirconium sponge of its own in bulk overseas, marking a breakthrough in the country's nuclear-grade zirconium material exports. It also signals that China's nuclear-grade zirconium sponge manufacturing has reached the international level, CNNC said.

In the nuclear industry, zirconium sponge is used to produce zirconium alloys for nuclear reactor components, such as the cladding for fuel rods, according to the Zircon Industry Association.

Zirconium alloy material is known as the "first safety barrier" in nuclear reactors. It is vital for the safe operation of nuclear power plants and is one of the important indexes by which to evaluate the research and development level of fuel assembly. Nuclear-grade zirconium sponge is an important raw material for the manufacture of zirconium alloy materials.

A subsidiary of CNNC signed a contract for export of nuclear-grade zirconium sponge with a subsidiary of Russia's TVEL Fuel Company in May. The zirconium materials are expected to arrive in Russia in early September.