China strengthens the regulatory apparatus.

China has formed two special departments for construction safety and operation safety of nuclear power plants

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) has established two new specialized sectors – the Department of Construction Safety Supervision for Nuclear Power Plants and the Department of Operational Safety Supervision for Nuclear Power Plants – to further strengthen and specialize the national framework for nuclear safety.

The move comes at a time when the Chinese nuclear sector is entering a phase of accelerated development and expansion. According to Dong Baotong, head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), China currently ranks first in the world in the number of reactors under construction and second in the number of operating units, with a total of 65 licensed reactor blocks. Forecasts indicate that over the next 15 years, i.e., the next three five-year plans (2026–2030), China will rise to the top worldwide in the number of active reactors, while by 2030 the number of licensed units is expected to reach close to 100. There are currently the most operating reactors in the United States – where 94 commercial nuclear reactors are in operation.

Lin Boqiang, director of the Chinese Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, stressed that the growing number of reactors in operation and under construction brings more complex regulatory challenges that require more precise and specialized oversight. Safety oversight, according to him, must cover the entire life cycle of nuclear facilities – from design, construction and commercial operation, to extending service life, decommissioning and management of radioactive waste.

In addition to conventional nuclear reactors, it was announced that the umbrella supervisory system will cover facilities for nuclear fusion, fuel-cycle facilities and radiation sources, while simultaneously strengthening staffing capacity and expertise within the regulator itself.

We acknowledge – this formation of separate departments to separate oversight of construction from oversight of reactor operation safety demonstrates a certain level of "institutional maturity" of the Chinese nuclear sector, as well as that the sector is indeed undergoing somewhat more complex processes as it tries to reconcile contradictory circumstances – the demand for safety of the sector and the demand for its expansion. How this will finally function in practice remains a question, so we will monitor this situation carefully: although the public has relatively little interest in such topics, it is very important to follow precisely these administrative maneuvers and their practical consequences.

S.A.