A tour bus that advertised the wind turbines of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) made an appearance during the Paris Olympics, making regular trips from the banks of the River Seine to some of the Games venues.
During the Games, CGN’s wind and solar projects supplied nearly 10 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the French capital, serving as a vivid testament to Sino-French energy cooperation.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, with energy cooperation being a vital component of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Sino-French energy cooperation has a 40-year history, and CGN, representing Chinese clean energy enterprises, has consistently sought to expand the scope of cooperation and inject green energy into bilateral relations.
During the Paris Olympics, CGN signed a power trading cooperation agreement with French electricity companies, proposing a flexible trading model where market prices can be converted into fixed prices, offering a more economical and sustainable plan to the European energy market.
The beginning of nuclear energy cooperation between China and France
Sino-French energy cooperation began with nuclear power. In December 1978, China announced its decision to purchase equipment for two nuclear power plants from France. On August 7, 1987, construction began on the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, a project which employed France’s M310 technology. Altogether, it took CGN, Electricité de France (EDF) and Framatome seven years to complete the project.
The building of the plant marked a significant step in the development of large-scale commercial nuclear power stations on the Chinese mainland, initiating long-term cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy.
In the 21st century, CGN and EDF collaborated again to design and construct the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, which uses France’s third-generation EPR nuclear technology. Thanks to the joint efforts of Chinese and French companies, Taishan Nuclear Power Plant became the world’s first operational EPR project.
The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is the largest Sino-French cooperation project in China’s energy sector, combining nuclear technology, industry experience and supply chain expertise from both countries. This project has significantly contributed to nuclear technology research and development, equipment manufacturing and supply chain development, playing a positive role in advancing the use of nuclear power.
In recent years, Sino-French cooperation in the nuclear energy field has reached new heights. In the last two years alone, CGN has signed cooperation agreements with EDF, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and others to collaborate in areas such as nuclear power talent development, technology and scientific research.
These agreements aim to deploy the experience CGN gained through the Taishan EPR project to support EPR projects such as Olkiluoto 3 in Finland and Flamanville 3 in France, further advancing technological progress in the nuclear energy sector and creating a new model for international nuclear energy cooperation.
Expanding from nuclear energy to renewable energy cooperation
China and France have deepened their collaboration in other fields of clean energy, with wind power and other renewable energy sources representing major breakthroughs for Chinese companies in the French market.
Leveraging its extensive experience in nuclear energy, CGN began exploring the renewable energy market in France.
On June 30, 2014, CGN registered and established CGN Europe Energy in Paris to be responsible for investment, construction and operation of wind and solar renewable energy projects. CGN’s total installed capacity in European renewable energy projects has now reached 2.34 million kilowatts, with projects distributed across seven countries, including Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These projects generate about 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to saving 2.24 million tons of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5.59 million tons, which is comparable to planting 15,300 hectares of trees.
In France, CGN owns six concerns – five wind power projects and one distributed solar project – with a total installed capacity of 375,000 kilowatts. In 2023, these projects provided 830 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to France.
From “green energy” to “tourism resources”
When developing clean energy in France, CGN has always adhered to the principles of green development and social responsibility, striving to protect the environment and biodiversity, actively promoting cultural integration and community engagement, and achieving co-construction and shared benefits with local communities.
In terms of biodiversity, CGN has implemented a series of land planning and wildlife protection measures. For instance, it continuously monitors bird and bat species at wind power projects, suspending operations periodically and installing monitoring and sound alert devices to protect wildlife.
In the southern French town of Assac, CGN Europe Energy, in cooperation with the Assac municipal government, developed a six-kilometer-long hiking trail to maximize social benefits from the wind farm project. This trail has been included in the “Industrial Tourism” promotion project by the Tarn Valley Tourism Bureau.
Today, this industrial tourism trail has become a branded public hiking trail for the Assac municipal government, attracting numerous visitors from outside the area and successfully transforming “green energy” into “tourism resources,” thereby promoting local economic development.
