China has started commercial operations at a new generation nuclear reactor that is the first of its kind in the world, one of the companies behind its development said.
Pic: Social Media
The high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) went online following a week-long (168 hours) continuous operation test, state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said in announcing the feat on Wednesday. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
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Compared with previous reactors, the fourth generation Shidaowan Bay plant in China’s northern Shandong province is designed to use fuel more efficiently and improve its economics, safety and environmental footprint.
China has a goal to produce 10% of electricity from nuclear by 2035 and 18% by 2060, but as of September this year had not met its 2020 target to install 58 gigawatts of nuclear capacity. The 200 megawatt (MW) high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGCR) plant uses a modular design.
Pic: Social Media
Instead of using water to cool the system, the high-temperature reactor will be cooled using helium gas, offering a promising way to develop more inland nuclear plants, as they will not need to be located next to a water source.
The facility, which began construction in 2012, features two 250 megawatt thermal reactors and a steam generator with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts, of which up to 93.4 per cent of the material used in the Shidaowan HTGR has been domestically sourced.
As the country turns to nuclear power to try to meet carbon emissions goals the reactor at the Shidaowan plant in China’s eastern Shandong province is part of a global push for more sustainable and efficient nuclear operations.
