CNNC
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA state-owned backbone enterprise in China's nuclear industry, covering nuclear energy, nuclear fuel, and nuclear technology applications.
Last updated October 9, 2026
Overview
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC; Chinese: 中国核工业集团公司) is a Chinese state-owned enterprise founded in 1955 and headquartered in Xicheng District, Beijing. It oversees all aspects of China's civilian and military nuclear programs and describes itself as "a main part of the national nuclear technology industry and a leading element of national strategic nuclear forces and nuclear energy development." Its president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the People's Republic of China, and it is supervised by the State Council via the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC). CNNC traces its origins to the Ministry of Nuclear Industry, which built China's first atom bomb, hydrogen bomb and nuclear submarine and functioned as a government bureau reporting directly to the State Council. In 1988 the ministry was reorganised into CNNC, partly to raise funds from outside government through exports. By the mid-1990s CNNC had 300,000 employees and managed 200 organisations; by 2014 it had about 100,000 employees and 110 subsidiaries, with four nuclear power plants and nine operating reactors totalling 6.5 GWe, plus twelve reactors under construction. In 2018 it acquired nuclear power plant builder China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Corp (CNECC). CNNC is one of the two most significant companies in China's uranium mining and nuclear power sectors, alongside China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). It is the only exporter of Chinese nuclear power plants. Its reactor designs include the Generation II CNP series (CNP-300, CNP-600, CNP-1000) and the Generation III ACP series (ACP-600, ACP-1000), which were predecessors of the Hualong One. The Hualong One, developed jointly with CGN after a 2012 directive to rationalise their Generation III programs, has a gross output of 1170 MWe and a 60-year design life, with about 85% of components made domestically. In August 2020, the United States Department of Defense listed CNNC and CNECC among companies linked to the People's Liberation Army operating directly or indirectly in the United States. In November 2020, an executive order by Donald Trump prohibited American companies and individuals from owning shares in companies on that list, including CNNC and CNECC.
History
CNNC's institutional history begins in 1955, when China established a national organization to coordinate the development of its nuclear industry. During the early decades of the People's Republic, nuclear work was concentrated on strategic programs, scientific research, uranium resources, fuel-cycle capabilities, and the creation of the industrial and technical base required for nuclear development. The organization operated through successive administrative forms as China's nuclear sector evolved. The development of civilian nuclear power became an increasingly important part of the group's mission. CNNC was involved in the establishment and expansion of China's domestic nuclear-power capabilities, including the Qinshan nuclear-power project, which became one of the country's foundational civilian nuclear stations. The group subsequently expanded its role in reactor engineering, nuclear-fuel production, equipment manufacturing, plant operation, research, and technical services. This created an integrated structure covering much of the nuclear value chain rather than limiting the organization to electricity generation. In the course of China's state-owned-enterprise reforms, the group adopted the name China National Nuclear Corporation and developed a corporate structure containing research institutes, design organizations, construction and engineering contractors, manufacturing entities, and operating companies. Some of these businesses were later reorganized or listed separately, while CNNC continued to act as the central group coordinating major nuclear-industry assets and capabilities. CNNC has participated in the development and deployment of Chinese pressurized-water reactor technologies and in efforts to strengthen domestic control over nuclear design, fuel supply, equipment, and plant construction. Its engineering and industrial subsidiaries have supported projects across China and have also sought international cooperation and overseas business. The group has additionally maintained activities in uranium resources, nuclear materials, radioactive-waste management, nuclear safety support, nuclear medicine, and non-power uses of nuclear technology. China's nuclear sector has also included other major central state-owned organizations, especially China General Nuclear Power Corporation. CNNC and CGN are separate groups with overlapping roles in nuclear-power development, though CNNC has retained a particularly broad institutional footprint spanning strategic nuclear work, research, the fuel cycle, power generation, and nuclear engineering. The distinction matters because public references to China's nuclear industry may describe the sector as a whole while referring to different corporate groups. In the twenty-first century, CNNC has remained a major participant in China's nuclear-power expansion and in the country's effort to develop a complete domestic nuclear supply chain. Its present identity is that of a large state-owned nuclear-industrial group with national strategic importance. It is not primarily marketed to consumers; instead, its brand is encountered through power stations, engineering projects, fuel-cycle facilities, research institutions, industrial subsidiaries, and public-sector partnerships.
- 2010
Nuclear-industry restructuring broadens the group structure
[1]CNNC continued consolidating and coordinating research, engineering, manufacturing, fuel-cycle, and power-generation activities through a large group of subsidiaries and institutes.
- 1999
China National Nuclear Corporation is established in its modern corporate form
[1]The organization adopted the China National Nuclear Corporation name as China's nuclear sector moved toward a modern state-owned corporate structure.
- 1990
Qinshan nuclear-power development enters service
[3]The Qinshan project became an important early milestone in China's domestic civilian nuclear-power program and was associated with CNNC's nuclear-power development role.
- 1955
China establishes a national nuclear-industry organization
[1]China created the institutional foundation for its modern nuclear industry, from which CNNC's organizational lineage is generally traced.
Products and positioning
A state-owned, vertically integrated nuclear-industrial group supporting China's civilian nuclear-energy system and broader strategic nuclear capabilities.
Electricity generation
Nuclear power generation
CNNC develops, owns, and operates nuclear-power assets through group companies and affiliates. Its electricity business is supported by the group's engineering, fuel, equipment, research, and maintenance capabilities, allowing CNNC to participate across the life cycle of nuclear-power projects rather than only as a plant operator.
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear reactor engineering and construction
The group provides reactor design, project development, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and technical support through specialized subsidiaries and research organizations. These activities have supported China's domestic reactor fleet and form part of CNNC's international nuclear-technology cooperation.
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel and fuel-cycle services
CNNC has capabilities and businesses associated with uranium resources, nuclear materials, fuel fabrication, and other stages of the nuclear-fuel cycle. These activities are strategically important because they support the continuity and domestic resilience of China's nuclear-power system.
Industrial and medical nuclear technology
Nuclear technology applications
Beyond electricity generation, CNNC's group companies and institutes work on radioisotopes, nuclear medicine, industrial irradiation, environmental monitoring, radioactive-waste treatment, and other civilian applications of nuclear science. The exact offering mix varies across subsidiaries and research organizations.
Controversies
2010
Former general manager Kang Rixin sentenced to life imprisonment in first-instance bribery case
On November 19, 2010, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court at first instance found Kang Rixin, former general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), guilty of bribery and sentenced him to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property.
Brand decisions
- Merger of Generation III reactor designsOther
- Acquisition of CNECCOther
Sources5 sources
- 1China National Nuclear Corporation - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2China National Nuclear Corporation official websitecnnc.com.cn
- 3Qinshan Nuclear Power Planten.wikipedia.org
- 4State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Councilen.wikipedia.org
- 5Former general manager Kang Rixin sentenced to life imprisonment in first-instance bribery casesxfj.gov.cn
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/cnnc · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled