LONDON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- "The third-party market cooperation promoted by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has enabled China, France and Britain to achieve 'triple-win'," said Zheng Dongshan, CEO of General Nuclear International, the UK subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), in a recent interview with Xinhua.
To jointly develop UK nuclear power market, CGN and Electricité de France (EDF), a French electric utility company, have established four joint venture companies in this country since 2015, said Zheng.
CGN and EDF have been working closely together for more than 30 years on a range of projects, including nuclear development and construction in China.
The partnership in the UK is a culmination of the two companies' cooperation. They formed joint ventures to build the Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power station in Somerset and to develop Sizewell C in Suffolk and Bradwell B in Essex. They have also jointly undertaken the Generic Design Assessment process for UK HPR1000 (Hualong) nuclear reactor technology since January 2017.
The flagship nuclear power projects in the UK run by CGN and EDF benefit Britain, France and China in different ways, Zheng told Xinhua.
The UK is accelerating its transition towards a low-carbon economy with the goal of generating 25 percent of its energy requirements from renewable, sustainable sources. After the HPC project is completed, it will provide power to 7 percent of UK households, delivering secure and affordable low-carbon electricity for 60 years.
"The projects will meet UK renewable energy demand and benefit from its Guarantees Scheme to support private investment in infrastructure projects. They also combine the expertise and experiences of CGN and EDF in technology, equipment, as well as project development and construction," Zheng said, "in any case, all the three countries are winners."
In the course of their cooperation, the two parties have blended their strengths.
Take the HPC project as an example, Zheng said, "more than 60 employees from CGN in the project are currently engaged in the project design process, and we have brought along our 30+ years of experiences in nuclear power station construction to this UK project."
To build a world-class company, CGN is working hard to enhance its competitiveness in overseas markets, especially in developed countries such as the UK. The company is committed to providing UK consumers with safe, reliable and sustainable energy.
"We bring over our experience from projects such as Taishan nuclear Power Plant in China, to build UK projects with safe, economic and mature technology." said Zheng.
