Non-energy applications of nuclear technology should be part of China’s national strategy and integrated into the country’s overall national economic and social development plans, the China Nuclear Energy Industry Association said.

According to a report in the state Global Times newspaper, the association said conservative estimates show that the value of China’s nuclear technology industry had exceeded $99bn (€91bn) as of the end of 2022, with the average annual growth rate remaining above 15%.

The industry will play a bigger and prominent role in areas including industrialisation, health, agriculture and nutrition, association chairman Zhang Tingke was quoted as telling a conference in Haiyan, eastern China.