UK-based research and development company Innovative Physics Ltd (IPL) and China Environmental Protection Company Ltd (CEPC) have signed an agreement on technologies and skills to further improve the safety of nuclear power plants in China and overseas.

(L to R front row seated) CEPC President Wu Xiujiang, Mike Anderson CEO Innovative Physics Ltd, China Institute for Radiation Protection President Liu Quinn; (L to R standing) CNNC Vice President Cao Shudong, China Atomic Energy Authority’s Vice Chairman Zhang Jianhua, Department for International Trade Minister for Trade Policy George Hollingbery, and China Atomic Energy Authority’s Secretary Den Ge. (Image: DIT)IPL specialises in evolving technologies; sensor technology, artificial intelligence and pattern recognition, while CEPC is part of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Announcing the agreement on 21 June, IPL said CEPC has made "significant progress" in detecting, measuring and tackling radiation contamination but needs more advanced solutions to enable it to do so "more comprehensively and at a greater pace".

IPL says it has developed bespoke AI technology to detect, identify and grade radioactive material which has been used in a number of markets, including the site of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

CEPC President Wu Xiujiang said the agreement "signifies an exciting opportunity for us to work together to develop improved radiological solutions to ensure our nuclear power operations function with the highest level of protection for the environment".

Mike Anderson, CEO of IPL, added: "To be able to work with one of the world’s leading nuclear corporations to jointly develop and improve our new technologies represents a huge opportunity."

The agreement is in place for a rolling three-year period.

In the same statement, UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said: "Britain is a key partner for Chinese trade and investment, and is one of China's most important trading partners in Europe. The announcements show the breadth and depth of our trading relationship, the success UK firms are having in China, and the huge opportunity the Chinese market holds for British companies, particularly with regards to market access.

"As an international economic department, [the Department for International Trade] will continue to support UK businesses to increase their share in this growing market and build on our substantial export figures, as we progress towards leaving the EU."

In 2016, Britain exported goods worth GBP16 billion (USD20 billion) to China making it the UK’s 8th biggest trading partner for exports outside the EU, according to the Office for National Statistics.