In 2023, the Japan government decided to discharge treated Fukushima nuclear power plant sewage into the Pacific Ocean, an event that is difficult not to recall several famous nuclear accidents in history, coupled with China's numerous nuclear power plant facilities as a nuclear power, which has many people worried:
Once disaster strikes, will these nuclear power plants on the mainland repeat the mistakes of the past and cause serious nuclear leaks again?
Is the current situation of nuclear power in China backward?
According to the latest data, as of December 31, 2023, a total of 55 nuclear power units are in operation in Chinese mainland, with a total installed capacity of 57.03GW.
Among the units in operation, pressurized water reactors are the mainstay, of which 52 are pressurized water reactor units with a capacity of 55.36GW. By the end of 2023, there were 93 nuclear power units in operation, under construction, or approved for construction in mainland China, with a total installed capacity of 101.44GW. It is mainly located in coastal and some inland provinces, including Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shandong and Fujian.
Among them, Shandong Rongcheng Shidaowan high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant is the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant, and officially put into commercial operation on December 6, 2023.
The plant's reactors contain more than 400,000 spherical fuel elements with a diameter of 60 millimeters, each containing about 7 grams of highly enriched uranium fuel.
These fuel elements are designed to remain intact at temperatures up to 1620°C, without meltdowns or the release of radioactive materials, ensuring safety even in extreme accidents.
It is worth mentioning that the high outlet temperature (up to 500°C) of the Shidaowan high-temperature gas-cooled reactor can also be used for cogeneration to provide clean energy for high-temperature demand industries such as the petrochemical industry.
China's vigorous promotion of nuclear power development actually has a "big chess" behind it. Energy security must not be sloppy. In 2022, China's total energy consumption reached 5.72 billion tons of standard coal, and about 60% of its electricity still depends on the old man "burning coal".
Although China has abundant coal resources, according to China's carbon peak action plan, China plans to have non-fossil energy accounts for about 25% of primary energy consumption by around 2030. At the current pace, it is clear that this goal will not be achieved.
As an efficient and stable energy source that can also reduce carbon emissions, nuclear power can be said to be more "high-tech" and less dependent on coal. In 2023, the country's total power generation reached 8,909.20 billion kWh, of which nuclear power contributed 433.371 billion kWh, accounting for 4.86%.
The proportion of nuclear power in total power generation has also increased from 4.76% to 4.86%, and compared with coal-fired power generation, the contribution of nuclear power generation in 2023 is equivalent to burning 123,395,600 tons of standard coal, and also allowing the earth to absorb 323,296,400 tons of carbon dioxide.
Nuclear energy is an efficient and low-carbon form of energy, so how can anyone oppose the construction of nuclear power plants under normal circumstances? It was two major nuclear accidents in history that cast a strong shadow over the security of this energy source.
In the shadow of a nuclear accident
On April 26, 1986, in the town of Pripyat, former Soviet Ukraine, the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was caused by a simulated power failure test.
The crew turned off part of the safety system and reduced the power, but failed to properly handle the instability at the low power, which eventually led to a sharp increase in the temperature of the reactor core, and two explosions occurred.
The explosion released large quantities of radioactive material, including cesium-137, strontium-90, plutonium and americium, which were released into the atmosphere and carried by the wind to much of Europe.
It is estimated that the accident released more than 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The radioactive fallout has not only contaminated large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but has also spread to many countries or regions in the northern hemisphere.
The accident resulted in the deaths of 31 staff and firefighters within weeks of the accident, mainly due to acute radiation sickness. To make matters worse, in the 15 years since the accident, more than 60,000 square kilometres of land have been directly contaminated, and more than 3.2 million people have been exposed to radiation.
Between 60,000 and 80,000 lives have been claimed as a direct result, and 134,000 more have suffered from various radiation diseases, some of which will not even be home to humanity for hundreds of years to come.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeastern Japan, the fourth strongest earthquake ever recorded in the world.
The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami up to 15 meters high that directly hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Although the reactors at the nuclear power plant had automatically "emergency braked" at the time of the earthquake, the tsunami destroyed the backup power supply and caused the cooling system to "strike" completely.
As soon as the cooling system went on, the temperature of the nuclear fuel in the reactor skyrocketed, eventually causing the core meltdown of reactor No. 1.
To make matters worse, the hydrogen gas that accumulated inside the reactor triggered several violent explosions, releasing large amounts of radioactive material.
The Fukushima accident was later classified as the highest level of 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, one of only two Level 7 accidents, the other being Chernobyl.
Although the Fukushima accident did not directly cause deaths, studies have pointed out that about 4,000 people could have died of cancer due to additional radiation exposure. As of February 2020, only 1,205 residents (10% of the total population) remained in the town.
The total population of Fukushima Prefecture is about 148,000 fewer than before the disaster. The Japan government estimates that the economic damage from the Fukushima accident could exceed 21.5 trillion yen (about $200 billion).
In the aftermath of the accident, attitudes towards nuclear energy have changed dramatically around the world. Many countries have suspended or cancelled nuclear energy development plans, and Germany announced in 2011 that it would phase out nuclear energy, with plans to completely shut down all nuclear power plants in 2022.
Is nuclear power safe in China?
These accidents, while occurring in other countries, have also undermined public confidence in nuclear energy, fearing that in the event of a major accident or war, the consequences of nuclear power plants could be immeasurably catastrophic.
There is no need to worry about this, as China's nuclear safety regulations require that each nuclear power plant be designed to withstand a serious accident such as the Fukushima nuclear accident, ensuring that the reactor can be safely shut down and cooled even in extreme circumstances.
For example, the Fuqing and Taishan nuclear power plants are designed to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude 8. China's Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant can withstand typhoon winds of 200 km/h and a maximum wave height of more than 10 meters.
The Yangjiang and Hongyanhe nuclear power plants have adopted a "dryland" design, setting the foundation elevation of key facilities at about 10 meters above the highest water level in local history. This design ensures that critical safety systems remain dry and operational even in the most extreme flood conditions.
The nuclear power plant is also equipped with a redundant power system, such as setting up two 500kV main transmission lines and at least one 220kV backup transmission line to ensure a stable power supply in any situation.
When you see our country's all-round protection of nuclear power plants, do you still worry that nuclear power leakage will bring irreparable disaster?
Information sources:
Peking University: A Closer Look at Chernobyl's Hidden Radiation "Hot Spots"
World Health Organization International Archives Fund: Risk Assessment and Human Health
National Academy of Development and Strategy: The Origin, Goal and Realization Path of China's Energy Revolution
Scientific Research Dynamic Monitoring Bulletin: The Japan Nuclear Leakage Incident and Its Implications for the Safe Development of Nuclear Energy in the Mainland
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