China National Nuclear Corporation
Encyclopedia
The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC; ) was established on 16 September 1988 by a Government of China
decree. CNNC's president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the State Council. However the CNNC is a self-supporting economic corporation, not a government administrative body. It oversees all aspects of China's civilian and military nuclear programs. According to it own mission statement, it "combines military nuclear weapon
s production with civilian production, taking nuclear industry as the basis while developing nuclear power
and promoting a diversified economy." CNNC is a nationwide industrial conglomerate integrating science, technology, industry, and international trade.
In 1996, the Export-Import Bank of the United States
--- the official export credit agency of the United States federal government --- made a $120 million low-interest loan to the China National Nuclear Power Corporation (CNNP).
The CNNC is the successor to the Ministry of Nuclear Industry which built China's first atom bomb, hydrogen bomb and nuclear submarine
. It functioned as a government bureau for the national nuclear industry and reported directly to the State Council. It oversaw China's nuclear-related corporations, manufacturers, institutions, research institutes, and plants, including those related to nuclear weapons. It was responsible for the design and operation of nuclear power plant
s; nuclear fuel
production and supply, including the processing of natural uranium
, uranium conversion and enrichment, fuel assembly fabrication, spent fuel reprocessing
, and nuclear waste disposal.
Kang Rixin, a senior general manager is currently being investigated (as of August 10, 2009) for $260 million that was earmarked for the construction of three nuclear plants and allegedly used the funds for the stock market sustaining heavy losses. He is also accused of accepting bribes from a foreign company that intended to build nuclear power stations in China.
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
decree. CNNC's president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the State Council. However the CNNC is a self-supporting economic corporation, not a government administrative body. It oversees all aspects of China's civilian and military nuclear programs. According to it own mission statement, it "combines military nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s production with civilian production, taking nuclear industry as the basis while developing nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and promoting a diversified economy." CNNC is a nationwide industrial conglomerate integrating science, technology, industry, and international trade.
In 1996, the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Export-Import Bank of the United States
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is the official export credit agency of the United States federal government. It was established in 1934 by an executive order, and made an independent agency in the Executive branch by Congress in 1945, for the purposes of financing and insuring...
--- the official export credit agency of the United States federal government --- made a $120 million low-interest loan to the China National Nuclear Power Corporation (CNNP).
The CNNC is the successor to the Ministry of Nuclear Industry which built China's first atom bomb, hydrogen bomb and nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
. It functioned as a government bureau for the national nuclear industry and reported directly to the State Council. It oversaw China's nuclear-related corporations, manufacturers, institutions, research institutes, and plants, including those related to nuclear weapons. It was responsible for the design and operation of nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s; nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...
production and supply, including the processing of natural uranium
Natural uranium
Natural uranium refers to refined uranium with the same isotopic ratio as found in nature. It contains 0.7 % uranium-235, 99.3 % uranium-238, and a trace of uranium-234 by weight. In terms of the amount of radioactivity, approximately 2.2 % comes from uranium-235, 48.6 % uranium-238, and 49.2 %...
, uranium conversion and enrichment, fuel assembly fabrication, spent fuel reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
, and nuclear waste disposal.
Kang Rixin, a senior general manager is currently being investigated (as of August 10, 2009) for $260 million that was earmarked for the construction of three nuclear plants and allegedly used the funds for the stock market sustaining heavy losses. He is also accused of accepting bribes from a foreign company that intended to build nuclear power stations in China.
See also
- China Atomic Energy AuthorityChina Atomic Energy AuthorityChina Atomic Energy Authority is the regulatory agency for the nuclear industry in China. It oversees and pioneers the development of nuclear energy within the People's Republic of China...
- Nuclear power in ChinaNuclear power in China, the People's Republic of China has 14 nuclear power reactors spread out over 4 separate sites and 27 under construction. China's National Development and Reform Commission has indicated the intention to raise the percentage of China's electricity produced by nuclear power from the current 1% to...
- China Nuclear International Uranium CorporationChina Nuclear International Uranium CorporationThe China Nuclear International Uranium Corporation is a Chinese Government owned corporation involved in prospecting, and eventually mining, overseas sources of Uranium....