A hemispherical dome is successfully installed for the No. 6 unit of China National Nuclear Corporation's Fuqing nuclear power plant in southeast China's Fujian Province, March 21, 2018. In May of 2017, a containment dome was installed on the No. 5 unit of the nuclear power plant, the first reactor featuring the Hualong One design. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Nuclear power will provide reliable support in exploring space and deep sea, and achieving the goals of carbon neutrality by 2060, Gu Jun, president of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), told Global Times on Wednesday. 

"Our techniques have been demonstrated to be the most advanced in the world by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," said Gu, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC). Gu said the domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor Hualong One is a representative of China's 66-year-nuclear industry development, which had reached a world leading standard.

"CNNC had been reached by more than 40 countries to discuss the new nuclear power generator, related techniques and industry chain," said Gu. CNNC had exported seven nuclear reactor sets in three decades, according to Gu. 

"Nuclear power will be used in more areas such as space and deep sea," added Gu. He believed that nuclear power can support space travel and deep sea resource exploitation. "By the middle of the 21 century, humans may stay in space and at great depths underwater for a longer period utilizing nuclear power," said Gu. 

Gu stressed that the set goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 is good news for the development of nuclear power. He suggested that China's nuclear industry should follow the process of achieving carbon emission reduction goal to maximize the utility of nuclear power. 

Since China's first nuclear power plant was built in 1985 until now, the country has been incident free, said Gu. "China's nuclear power plant can provide energy in many circumstances, whose efficiency and safety have reached a high level," said Gu. 

A large volume of medical equipment in hospitals such as radiotherapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) adopt the nuclear related techniques, according to Gu. "China's nuclear related technique production value is at 300 billion ($46.2 billion) to 500 billion yuan," said Gu.

In the future, CNNC will enhance to publish an atomic energy development law, which will be significant for the development and export of China's nuclear technology, said Gu.