The country's first high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactor is
now generating power at full capacity in Beijing.
The development of the reactor represents a major step in the
country's safe use of nuclear energy to resolve its energy
shortage, said Wu Zongxin, a professor with the Nuclear Energy
Technology Institute of Tsinghua University.
China is the fifth country in the world to master the technology
for building this type of reactor, following the United States,
Britain, Germany and Japan.
Construction of the reactor began in 1995, at a total cost of 250
million yuan (US$30 million). The reactor has undergone 100 safety
tests since it began thermal testing in December 2000.
It
has a shorter production circle and lower production cost, compared
with other types of reactors, Wu said.
Moreover, there is no need for a regular reactor shutdown, since
the reactor can be refueled at any time. This, of course, enhances
its utilization rate, he said.
The reactor produces temperatures three times that of pressurized
water reactors and is operationally very secure, Wu said.
Several key components of the reactor were designed and produced by
China under the country's high-technology research development
plan, commonly known as the "863 Program." The successful
development of the reactor paves the way for the building of
similar or larger nuclear power stations in China.
The high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor is generally believed to
be the safest reactor in use in the world. In the event of an
accident, the reactor shuts down automatically and cools the
surplus heat inside the reactor.
A
nuclear accident such as Chernobyl is absolutely impossible, Wu
said.
China has been shifting the focus of nuclear power usage from
defense to civilian use since the 1980s. The country has already
built three nuclear power stations, two of which started commercial
operations in the 1990s. Four nuclear generating units are under
construction.
The country's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 8.7
million kilowatts in three years.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2003)