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)