Many countries have shown a keen interest in China National Nuclear Corporation's cutting-edge third-generation ACP100 nuclear reactor, the company revealed on Thursday.

CNNC said it had conducted discussions with countries, including Pakistan, Iran, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Brazil, Egypt and Canada, over potential use of the technology.

It disclosed the strong international interest on Thursday at the 12th China International Exhibition on Nuclear Power Industry 2017 in Beijing.

The ACP100, which the company calls the Linglong One, is a small modular reactor relying on pressurized water reactor technology.

CNNC said it had completed all the research, development and design process and the unit would be ready for engineering construction after government's final approval.

SMRs are defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as advanced reactors producing up to 300 megawatts of power that can be largely built in factories and shipped to utilities and end users.

Linglong One is the first reactor of its kind in the world to have passed the safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a remarkable breakthrough in global small multipurpose modular reactor development, said the company.

According to CNNC, compared with other energy sources, small reactors as a distributed power source and power supply for a particular region have obvious advantages.

It said that in the field of industrial steam supply under the present pricing system, co-generation of steam and power by the ACP100 was economically superior to other power supply modes in view of its 70 percent of heat utilization efficiency.

The company said it also provides clean and environmentally friendly energy for water desalination for coastal cities short of water.

Many executives in China's nuclear power sector have pitched the use of small scale reactors, as an alternative heat source to lessen dependence on coal-fired plants to reduce pollution.

Wan Gang, head of the China Institute of Atomic Energy, said the operation of the small modular reactors was secure, as the core temperature and internal pressure were much lower than a conventional reactor.

"The small modular reactors are safe for civilian use in cities," said Wang.