A Chinese nuclear plant has started the mass-production of carbon-14 (C-14) isotope, according to the country’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

The C-14 was mass-produced at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Haiyan county of Zhejiang province, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) told the agency. The plant is operated by a CNNC subsidiary.

The C-14 is an isotope of the carbon element. It has applications in medicine and archaeology. It is also used to detect bacterial infections and monitor water quality.

So far, China was dependent on imports of C-14, but the Qinshan plant is expected to end such dependence. An official told the agency that the C-14 output at the Qinshan plant should be able to “completely meet the market demand” of China.

So far, China has been almost completely reliant on C-14 imports from countries including Canada, South Africa, Australia, and Russia, according to the South China Morning Post.

The report said that the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) teamed up with various ministries In June 2021 to launch a plan to produce medical isotopes in China to stabilise and ensure supplies within the country.

The Qinshan plant was first operationalised in 1992. It is China’s only facility with commercial heavy water reactors. The CNNC said that the technology “enables more stable operation at high power for a longer time than other kinds of reactors”. The technology was first provided by Canada.

The Qinshan plant joined hands with several institutions, including the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute, to realise the mass production plan, according to the report, which added that the project was launched in 2019 and the first commercial production began in April 2022.