On December 20, 2019, the Launch Meeting for China’s Participation in GIF Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor was held at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Representatives from the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Bureau of Major R&D Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Nuclear Energy Association, Anhui Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and experts and scholars from a dozen Chinese institutions attended the meeting.
INEST, as the Chinese lead organization in GIF Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR), presented an overview of LFR development both at home and abroad and put forward a proposal for coordinating China‘s participation in GIF LFR. Experts and scholars from CNNC, CGNPC, SPIC, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China University of Science and Technology and other institutions briefed the meeting on their research progress in LFR. Delegates exchanged ideas on how to better coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for LFR development in China and for the country’s participation in international cooperation, and set out follow-up arrangements. Deputy Director-General Chen Linhao of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology fully affirmed China’s good foundation for the research and development of LFR technology and expressed the hope that INEST could lead the efforts to establish an effective coordination mechanism and all institutions work together to promote technical exchanges and international cooperation in LFR.
Identified by GIF as one of the most promising six Generation IV reactor systems, LFR possesses outstanding neutron physical, thermal hydraulic and safety features. On October 18, 2019, INEST signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in GIF LFR activities on behalf of China, marking China‘s official participation in the GIF LFR system.