China is building its first SMR nuclear reactor on the island province of Hainan in Changjiang … [+]
WNA
China National Nuclear Corporation has started construction of its first small modular reactor (SMR) in the island province of Hainan at the Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant (bottom of the map).
It will be China’s own design by Linglong One, it will be around 125 MW, it will take around 5 years to build, and it will generate around a billion kWh / year.
China rightly decided to diversify its nuclear sector in order to achieve real energy security and a reasonable level of decarbonization.
China is now the world leader in total energy production and also produces almost twice as much electricity as the United States, 4.4 trillion kWh versus 7.5 trillion kWh per year.
With over a third of the Chinese population still poor in energy or in dire poverty, their energy consumption will only increase over the next 30 years and probably exceed 10 trillion kWh / year.
And they intend that much of it will come from nuclear power.
China has 49 Nuclear reactors with a capacity of 47.5 GW in operation, third after the USA and France. And 17 under construction with an output of 18.5 GW. Another 100 with an expected capacity of over 100 GW are planned by 2035. This will be almost half of the world’s nuclear capacity. And they won’t stop. They are expected to double again by 2060.
In line with its ambitious goal of being a world leader in the nuclear field, China has also established the first national institute for nuclear research, training and academic exchange. China National Nuclear Corporation recently signed an agreement with Tsinghua University to establish the Nuclear Research Institute.
This is a pretty serious nod to the importance of nuclear power in China’s future.
The country’s first SMR demonstration at Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant in Hainan will be used to “review the design, manufacture, construction and operation of the technology and gain valuable experience with small-scale nuclear power plants,” CNNC said in a press release.
China sees the Linglong One as specific to special situations and as an aid to its larger, third-generation Hualong One reactor in exporting its advanced nuclear technologies overseas and along its belt-and-road geography.
SMRs are one-third to one-tenth the size of traditional reactors and are particularly well suited for remote areas, supporting wind farms and solar systems, offshore and island applications, supporting industrial processing and steam generation, and urban heating and desalination projects.
What is frustrating is that China is behaving like the United States in the 20th century, outperforming the rest of the world technologically, and positioning itself to be a world leader in the second half of this century.
While we’re back in the weeds, we’re just trying to convince people to get vaccinated and pretend elections have been stolen.
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