Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it will ship the first of 10 sets of digital instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power plants in China, an order worth a total of JPY48 billion, as part of the first commercial collaboration between China and Japan in the field of nuclear power.

The digital I&C systems, manufactured jointly by Mitsubishi Electric and its system engineering consortium partner, China Techenergy Corporation Ltd., control and monitor entire nuclear power plants to ensure safe operations and efficient power generation.

In July 2007, the consortium of Mitsubishi Electric and CTEC won an order for six digital I&C systems to be used in nuclear power plants in China, making Mitsubishi Electric the first Japanese firm to win such orders in China. Following their first order, they started on the system design and, in 2009, moved onto the assembling and testing stages at CTEC's Beijing factory. The first digital I&C system will be delivered to Liaoning Hongyan he Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, which is scheduled to start operation in 2012. Built by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation Ltd., Liaoning Hongyan he Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 will have an output capacity of 1,000 megawatts.

The capacity of nuclear power plants in China is expected to increase from the current 9,000MW to 60,000MW by 2020 and up to 160,000MW by 2030, with more than 50 new nuclear power plants planned.