Boost in re-using nuke fuel
By Zhou Xin and Benjamin Kang Lim |
January 4, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in spent fuel reprocessing technology that could potentially solve Chinaís uranium supply problem.
The technology, developed and tested at the No.404 Factory of China National Nuclear Corp in the Gobi desert in remote Gansu Province, enables the re-use of irradiated fuel and is able to boost the usage rate of uranium materials at nuclear plants by 60-fold.
"With the new technology, Chinaís existing detected uranium resources can be used for 3,000 years," Chinese Central Television reported yesterday.
China, as well as France, the United Kingdom and Russia, actively supports reprocessing as a means for the management of spent fuel and as a source of fissile material for future nuclear fuel supply.
China has 171,400 tons of proven uranium resources spread mainly in eight provinces and autonomous regions - Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan.
The country is planning a massive push into nuclear power in an effort to wean itself off coal. It now has 12 working reactors with 10.15 gigawatt of total generating capacity.
China has set an official target of 40 gigawatts of installed nuclear generating capacity by 2020, but the government indicated it could double the goal to about 80 GW as faster expansion is a feasible solutions for achieving emissions reduction goals.
The technology, developed and tested at the No.404 Factory of China National Nuclear Corp in the Gobi desert in remote Gansu Province, enables the re-use of irradiated fuel and is able to boost the usage rate of uranium materials at nuclear plants by 60-fold.
"With the new technology, Chinaís existing detected uranium resources can be used for 3,000 years," Chinese Central Television reported yesterday.
China, as well as France, the United Kingdom and Russia, actively supports reprocessing as a means for the management of spent fuel and as a source of fissile material for future nuclear fuel supply.
China has 171,400 tons of proven uranium resources spread mainly in eight provinces and autonomous regions - Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan.
The country is planning a massive push into nuclear power in an effort to wean itself off coal. It now has 12 working reactors with 10.15 gigawatt of total generating capacity.
China has set an official target of 40 gigawatts of installed nuclear generating capacity by 2020, but the government indicated it could double the goal to about 80 GW as faster expansion is a feasible solutions for achieving emissions reduction goals.
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