Officials mull nuclear power for ships on polar missions
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E-mail China Daily, February 21, 2013
China's polar expedition ships may use nuclear propulsion in the future, experts said, after one of the country's leading shipbuilders announced it has begun developing key technologies for nuclear-powered vessels.
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Russia's nuclear-powered ice breaking ship. [File photo] |
"Compared with ships that use conventional propulsion, nuclear-powered ships can travel farther and are more reliable, factors that make the ships a reasonable choice for polar expeditionary missions," Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science, told China Daily on Wednesday.
His remarks came a day after China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, one of the two dominant shipbuilders in China, said in an online news release that one of its research institutions has received State approval and funding to formally begin research on core technologies and safety for nuclear-powered ships.
The company did not disclose further details about the project.
The news attracted close attention from fans of the Chinese military, who forwarded the news more than 800 times on Sina Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging service.
Many military followers link the announcement to widespread speculation that China may develop its own nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
"I think the research will definitely pave the way for our nuclear-powered aircraft carrier," said a micro-blogger who uses the name Shangoufu.
Another micro-blogger, Yingziyinji, asked, "Does it mean that we will have a Chinese version of the (US') nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the near future?"
Du said he considers it possible that the Chinese navy's next carrier will be equipped with nuclear propulsion.
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