BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced Saturday that the country's largest natural uranium project has produced its first barrel of uranium, marking a new phase of sustainable and smart uranium mining in China.

Located in Ordos in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the "National No.1 Uranium" demonstration project, the country's largest natural uranium production base by capacity and built to the highest standards, has also set a new record for construction speed, having been completed just one year after breaking ground.

"This demonstration project is a major achievement in China's third-generation uranium mining and processing technology," said Yuan Xu, chairman of China National Uranium Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CNNC.

He added that the project features key elements of modern uranium mining, including a strong focus on environmental protection, remote control operations, intelligent analysis, and enhanced quality and efficiency.

Through full-process digitalization and intelligent analysis, the project has made uranium mining more predictable and controllable, according to Yuan.

China's total nuclear power generation capacity -- including units in operation, under construction, or officially approved -- ranks first in the world, according to the China Energy Research Society.

The technologies used in the demonstration project are expected to be fully applied and rapidly scaled across uranium development in China's northern basins to support the creation of additional large-scale uranium mining bases, according to the CNNC. ■