First carbon-14 dispatched from Chinese plant

Tuesday, 27 May 2025

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said the milestone "marks the first mass production achievement under He Fu No.1, China's first isotope production technology brand, and signifies the establishment of China's fully integrated industrial chain for carbon-14 isotope development, from independent R&D and production to commercial supply."

The company noted that "only a handful of countries in the world" are currently able to produce carbon-14 on a commercial scale. "Under the support of the China Atomic Energy Authority, Qinshan Nuclear Power, relying on China's commercial heavy water reactor, began independent R&D in 2019 through joint efforts with China Isotope & Radiation Corporation and other partners, and successfully overcame technical barriers to produce carbon-14 through commercial reactor irradiation."

_{(Image: CNNC)}

The first irradiated carbon-14 target was successfully extracted from the Qinshan plant's heavy water reactor unit on 20 April last year. After purification and processing, the first batch of carbon-14 products meeting quality standards have now passed final testing and been dispatched.

Carbon-14 is used in medical and scientific research and in fields including agriculture and chemistry as well as in medicine and biology. According to CNNC, the expected annual output at Qinshan will be sufficient to meet domestic market demand.

"This marks a new stage in China's isotope supply system - shifting toward greater self-reliance and innovation," CNNC said. "Looking ahead, CNNC will continue to leverage its resources and technological advantages to accelerate the localisation and scaled production of more medical isotopes, contributing to the Healthy China initiative."

Currently, cobalt-60 produced at the Qinshan plant is used in a wide range of fields, including food preservation, meeting most of the domestic market demand and even starting export. "Looking ahead, He Fu No.1 will take on the task of scaling up production of various short half-life medical isotopes, such as lutetium-177, with production capacity expected to meet domestic needs," CNNC said.

Qinshan is China's largest nuclear power plant, comprising seven reactors. Construction of Phase I of the plant - a 300 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR) which was the first indigenously-designed Chinese nuclear power station to be built - began in 1985, with the unit entering commercial operation in 1994. Qinshan Phase II is home to four operating CNP-600 PWRs, built with a high degree of localisation. Units 1 and 2, comprising the first stage of Phase II, began operating in 2002 and 2004, respectively. Units 3 and 4 entered commercial operation in October 2010 and April 2021. Phase III consists of two 750 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and commissioned in 2002 and 2003.