Power plant cables are mainly used in nuclear reactor buildings, nuclear auxiliary buildings, and turbine buildings. Cable laying methods generally use pipelines or cable trays, requiring cables to have reliable service life, thermal stability, moisture resistance, chemical stability, and radiation resistance. To ensure the high reliability of system design and avoid serious economic consequences caused by equipment damage, repetitive multi-channel independent line systems and devices are usually used. Power cables usually use two independent line systems, and control cables use three independent line systems.
1E grade cables used in nuclear power plants are classified into three categories based on the safety category of the electrical system equipment: K1, K2, and K3. The safety categories K1, K2, and K3 are defined as follows:
K1 type electric actuator. Installed inside the containment vessel of a nuclear reactor, it can still perform its specified functions under normal environmental conditions and under SL2 (safe shutdown earthquake) loads, as well as during or after accidents.
K2 type electric actuator. Installed inside the nuclear reactor containment vessel, it can still perform its specified functions under normal environmental conditions and SL2 (safe shutdown earthquake) loads.
K3 type electric actuator. Installed outside the nuclear reactor containment vessel, it can still perform its specified functions under normal environmental conditions and SL2 (safe shutdown earthquake) loads.
The operating environment of the three types of cables varies greatly, among which the operating environment of Class K1 is the most severe, and the performance requirements for the cables are also the most stringent. It must pass a simulated coolant loss of coolant accident (LOCA) test before it can be put into operation. According to the actual operating environment of the cables, in the event of a LOCA in a nuclear power plant, both the cables inside and outside the containment vessel will be severely tested. Some people believe that cables installed in nuclear reactor buildings should undergo simulated LOCA tests; Secondly, only by being able to produce Class 1E K1 cables can it prove that the cable manufacturer * has the ability to produce nuclear grade cables. The structural design and performance indicators of the cables are determined based on the specific conditions of the reactor building and nuclear auxiliary building operating environments.

There are 5 commonly used types of cables for nuclear power plants, including 6/10kV and 0.6/1kV power cables, 0.6/1kV control cables, 300/500V instrument cables, and 300/500V compensating wires.