Review and Prospect of Legal Development in Commercial Nuclear Energy

As a major developer of commercial nuclear energy, China saw its developments improve year by year in relevant key indicators such as the number of commercial nuclear facilities, total installed capacity and electricity generation. Accordingly, the legal system of commercial nuclear energy in China has also improved in the past four decades in three phases: Beginning (1985–2002), Growth (2003–2015) and Maturity (2016–now). The legal needs of nuclear energy development, operation, supervision and regulation has been basically met with great focuses on authorities, nuclear safety licensing, disposal of radioactive nuclear wastes and nuclear materials. However, problems still exist, including an inefficient legal system, complicated organic system and inadequate supervision on those regulatory bodies. Looking ahead, efforts should be made in three aspects for safe and healthy development in China’s commercial nuclear industry, specifically, a better relevant legal system, safety management licensing and emergency response to nuclear accidents.