This Day, That Year

Item from June 7, 1989, in China Daily: A panoramic view of the Qinshan nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province. It is the country's first nuclear reactor.

The project is expected to be completed and become operational next year.

China's nuclear energy sector has boomed since the Qinshan reactor started operations in December 1991.

There are 36 reactors under operation and another 20 under construction, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

By the end of 2020, China aims to have reactors producing 58 gigawatts of power and plants under construction with a production capacity of 30 GW.

Last month, construction of the domestically developed Hualong One reactor at Fuqing, Fujian province, reached a milestone with the installation of the dome on the containment vessel.

The project uses third-generation reactor design developed by the China National Nuclear Corp and the China General Nuclear Power Group.

Meanwhile, Chinese nuclear technology is gaining a presence abroad. China National Nuclear Corp has exported reactors to at least seven countries.

It has also established links with more than 40 countries for further deals, spanning the full nuclear industrial chain.