"In the next generation of nuclear power technology, China is the best in the dust"

(Observer News)

On Wednesday (6th), the world's first demonstration project for the commercialization of fourth-generation nuclear power technology, the Huaneng Shidaowan high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant, was officially put into commercial operation, marking that the mainland has reached the world's leading level in the field of fourth-generation nuclear power technology. This news also quickly attracted the attention of the American media.

"Atomic energy is rising again, China has the first opportunity", the Wall Street Journal reported on the 7th local time with this title, with the nuclear power plant put into commercial operation, China has become the first country in the world to put the latest generation of nuclear power technology into use. Some experts have pointed out that China can be said to be "unbeatable" in terms of the actual construction and commercialization of next-generation nuclear power technology.

Huaneng Shidaowan high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant Image source: China Huaneng Weibo

According to public reports, the Huaneng Shidaowan high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration project was led by China Huaneng, jointly built by Tsinghua University and China National Nuclear Corporation, and the project started in December 2012 and was connected to the grid for the first time in December 2021. According to reports, this time it was officially put into production and transferred to commercial operation at a stable electric power level.

It is reported that relying on the project, the relevant units have overcome a number of world-wide and industry-wide key core technologies, developed more than 2,200 sets of the world's first set of equipment, and systematically mastered the design, manufacturing, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance technology of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and the equipment localization rate reached 93.4%, and the power generation capacity was enough to meet the electricity demand of 200,000 households.

As a landmark achievement of a major national scientific and technological project with completely independent intellectual property rights in mainland China, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor used in Huaneng Shidaowan Nuclear Power Plant is an internationally recognized advanced reactor type of fourth-generation nuclear power technology, and is also an important direction for the future development of nuclear power in the world.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the so-called high-temperature gas-cooled reactor refers to the use of gas instead of high-pressure water to cool the reactor, thereby reducing the risk of harmful consequences in the event of an accident. The large amount of heat generated by the operation of these reactors can be diverted to desalination, metal smelting, and other industrial processes. This will help optimize the energy structure, ensure the security of energy supply, and promote the realization of the "dual carbon" goal.

Most importantly, HTFR has "inherent safety", i.e. in the event of loss of all cooling capacity, the reactor can remain in a safe state without any intervention, without core meltdown and radioactive material leakage. According to the Wall Street Journal, its passive safety system prevents accidents like the Fukushima nuclear power plant by automatically shutting down the reactor in the event of a problem, including a power outage.

The report mentioned that after the nuclear leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011, many countries were shy away from developing nuclear energy. But as the challenges of climate change intensify, nuclear power is on the rise, and China's efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and oil and gas imports have put it at the forefront of civilian nuclear technology.

Francois Morin, China director of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), a London-based industry group, said the new reactors using fourth-generation nuclear power technology have put China "ahead of other countries in nuclear technology research and development" because Western countries are not expected to start operating their own fourth-generation nuclear power plants until the early 30s.

Among other types of fourth-generation nuclear technology, the Chinese-developed Linglong-1 is the world's first small, modular pressurized water reactor to pass the IAEA's general safety review. Fu estimates that the reactor is likely to be commissioned around 2025, several years earlier than similar reactors being developed by Western companies.

On August 10, 2023, in Changjiang, Hainan, the core module of the Linglong No. 1 reactor of China Nuclear Power Investment Holding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Power Investment Holding Co., Ltd., was successfully hoisted. Image source: Visual China

As recently as June this year, the 2MWt liquid-fueled thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor in Wuwei, Gansu province, was granted an operating licence by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

Thorium-based nuclear power, known as humanity's ultimate energy solution before nuclear fusion, is considered safer, more efficient, and produces less waste than traditional water-cooled reactors. According to the Wall Street Journal, in the 50s of the 20th century, Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee tried to build such reactors, but the construction was halted due to cost reasons. China's experimental reactor is the only thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor in operation in the world since then.

China is also helping Russia build a "fast breeder reactor," one of the largest nuclear cooperation deals in history, worth more than $18.6 billion, the report said. Such reactors can be fueled by plutonium produced from the recovery of spent fuel from conventional reactors, producing more plutonium than it consumes.

In addition to this, China has always sought to become an exporter of civilian nuclear technology. The Wall Street Journal reported in August that China was bidding for the right to build Saudi Arabia's first civilian nuclear power plant, and its offer was at least 20 percent lower than that of rivals South Korea and France, making it attractive to Saudi Arabia.

David Fishman, a Shanghai-based senior manager at energy consultancy Lantau Group, summed it up: "China is arguably peerless when it comes to actually building and commercializing the next generation of nuclear power technology. ”

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