China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.: Enhancing public communication to explore solutions to ＂NIMBY＂

Company profile
 
China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (CNNP) received joint investment from the China National Corporation (CNNC), the China Three Gorges Corporation, the China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) and China Aerospace Investment Holdings, Ltd, with China National Nuclear Corporation as holding shareholder. It is headquartered in Beijing. The company's business scope covers the development, investment, construction, operations and management of nuclear power projects and supporting facilities, technical research in safe nuclear power plant operations, and related technical and consultancy services, electricity power sales, etc. At the end of 2017, CNNP owned 25 holding subsidiaries, 2 joint venture and 4 equity participation companies, including 17 operating nuclear power units with an installed capacity of 14.34GW. The company's accumulated commercial power generation capacity was 1,007.47 Gwh, and the accumulated on-grid electricity was 94.025 Gwh. Through sustained investment and steady operation, CNNP achieved the income of approximately 33.59 billion yuan, total profit of 9.346 billion yuan, and total assets of over 300 billion Yuan, and had a total of 12,620 staff.
 
Challenges
 
Nuclear power is vital to adjusting energy structure and promoting economic development and environmental protection. The development of nuclear power enterprises requires the strong support of all sectors of society and the recognition of local governments, the public and other social forces is an important prerequisite for promoting the development of nuclear power. However, since the public communication publicity of nuclear power lags the speed of nuclear power development, public communication work falls behind the development of nuclear power. Nuclear power is a difficult subject for a lot of people, and they are lack of understanding of nuclear power knowledge, and still puzzled in the development of nuclear power. It is very urgent to raise public awareness of nuclear power awareness and acceptance.
 
How to eliminate the public's fear of nuclear power, avoid NIMBY problems, reduce nuclear disputes and make the public understand nuclear power, and support nuclear power development, has become an important topic in CNNP’s sustainable development strategy.
 
Solutions
 
CNNP fully respects the public's right to know, to participate and to supervise, changes the way of communication, and has established a new "3C" public communication concept consisting of Confidence, Connection, and Coordination, which innovates in public communication practice, deepens the public's scientific understanding of nuclear power, and eliminate the core of public fear, thus promoting the joint effort of the public for the sustainable development of nuclear power industry.
 
Practicing "four commitments" to enhance the trust of the public
 
Committed to safety to improve the quality of development. The company puts nuclear safety management in the first place and includes it into the whole life cycle of nuclear power plant planning, design, construction and operation to ensure the safe and stable operation of nuclear power units. In 2017, the company's operating units operated safely for 133 reactor years, among which the WANO comprehensive index of 6 units reached 100 points, ranking first in the world.
 
Committed to environmental protection to add a touch of greenness. The company has integrated the concept of green development effectively into the whole process of nuclear power plant operation and management, including site selection, design, construction and operation, and established the effective environmental impact assessment to protect biodiversity. The company was awarded the honorary title of "Excellent Unit for Energy Conservation in Power Industry" in 2017.
 
Committed to economic development to achieve win-win and common prosperity. Adhering to the concept of sustainable energy development, the company continues to optimize overhaul management and promote equipment localization and going-out of nuclear power to facilitate the progress of the industry. In 2017, its total installed capacity reached 14.34 million kilowatts, and the annual power generation exceeded 100 billion kilowatt hours for the first time, generating 717.5 billion kilowatt hours of power in accumulation.
 
Committed to humanity to make a better life. The company pays great attention to the development of employees themselves, assumes its social responsibility consciously and strives to create a harmonious and happy humanistic environment to provide strong support for the development of public welfare undertakings. In 2017, the company invested 149.4178 million yuan in training, which benefited 229,602 employees, and donated 3.3968 million yuan.
 
Implementing transparent connection to enhance the recognition of the pubic
 
Disclosing information about social responsibility regularly. The company discloses information about the most concerned issues of the public, including the impact of project construction on environment and nuclear and radiation safety, in a timely and accurate manner, by means and carriers like network, media, social responsibility reports, columns, press conferences and media interviews, to ensure information disclosure and transparency.
 
Building the largest nuclear power science and technology museum in China. The company provides various experiences including reproducing the professional scenes of nuclear power safety and environmental protection to make the development, glorious achievements and scientific knowledge of nuclear power in China easily understandable for the public, so as to help the public understand nuclear power rationally. In 2017, over 44,000 people visited the museum in more than 460 batches.
 
Creating the science popularization brand, "light of charm". The company has built a number of science popularization brands, led by the "light of charm" cup national middle school student popular science knowledge contest and popular science summer camp to spread the seeds of nuclear power popular science across the country. Over 430,000 people from 34 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as 19 countries from the five continents, such as the United States, Italy, Japan and New Zealand, participated in the 2017 "light of charm" knowledge contest. By the end of 2017, more than 1.2 million people had participated in the "light of charm" event.
 
Coordinating with all parties to promote transparency in the nuclear power industry
 
Releasing the industry's first public communication white paper. The company issued  CNNP White Paper on Public Communication innovatively, establishing the public communication mission that "answering your question about nuclear power is our responsibility" and the public communication goals of "sincere communication and exchange, knowing each other and being with you forever", which unifies the principles of public communication management from levels of transparency, openness, equality, universality and convenience and shows its perception, attitude and behavior to public communication to the social public.
 
Issuing the industry's first public communication initiative. The company launched the first public communication initiative for nuclear power industry in China to appeal nuclear power industry to communicate with the public in a more professional, transparent and opener manner, so as to promote the development of nuclear power industry jointly.
 
Releasing the industry's first guideline over public communication. The company  summarized the main content of public communication, formulated the purpose, contents and standard procedures of public communication and developed the professional talent pool and product pool of public communication, which has become an operation manual for the nuclear power industry to better carry out public communication, promoting the nuclear power industry to be more transparent and opener.
 
Achievement
 
Social benefit
 
CNNP’s “3C” communication mechanism runs smoothly and has achieved remarkable results. It effectively promoted the public's awareness and recognition of nuclear power information, enhanced the public's interest identification, emotional identity and value identification of nuclear power development, and played a vital role in avoiding NIMBY movement, reducing panic and building a stable and harmonious society. To enable the public to support the safe and efficient development of nuclear power in China more rationally and fairly is conducive to promoting the development of China's nuclear power industry and improving its international competitiveness and national status.
 
In 2017, CNNP was awarded A-level rating for information disclosure in Shanghai Stock Exchange Market and was named as one of the leading enterprises of GoldenBee Excellent CSR Report. No public mass incidents directly related to nuclear power projects occurred throughout the year.
 
Economic benefit
 
The transparent management and communication as well as participation, the public's nuclear sentiment is alleviated, and the public's emotional identity and value recognition of nuclear power construction are increased, reducing the resistance in nuclear power construction effectively and ensuring the smooth progress of nuclear power projects. Public communication enables the public to have a certain understanding of the corporate culture and business philosophy of CNNP and builds the brand effect of charming nuclear power, which creates a favorable public opinion atmosphere and social environment for the sound, rapid and safe development of CNNP. In 2017, the installed nuclear power capacity of CNNP reached 14.34 million kilowatts, witnessing a year-on-year increase of 8.2%, and it held 8 nuclear power units under construction with an installed capacity of 9.287 million kilowatts. The installed capacity is increasing continuously.
 
Prospect
 
The public communication in the nuclear power industry has only a starting point without finish lines. CNNP will be committed to continuing effective public communication to listen to the voices of all parties, and promoting the more inclusive and sustainable development of nuclear power industry, escorting the healthy, rapid and sustainable development of China's nuclear power industry.