State media reported on Wednesday that China initiated the commercial operations of the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor.
The Shidaowan plant, located in China’s northern Shandong province, stands out for its design aimed at enhancing fuel efficiency, economic viability, safety, and environmental impact compared to its predecessors. China is increasingly turning to nuclear power to meet carbon emissions goals.
The 200-megawatt high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGCR) plant, developed through collaboration between state-run utility Huaneng, Tsinghua University, and China National Nuclear Corporation, employs a modular design.
Modular plants, characterized by a capacity of less than 300MW and the ability to be constructed off-site, are advocated for their potential to operate in remote areas and power traditionally challenging heavy industries. However, critics argue that they are overly costly.
While NuScale Power was anticipated to be the first U.S. company licensed for a small modular reactor, it recently announced the termination of a planned 462MW project in Utah due to escalating costs. China aims to generate 10% of its electricity from nuclear sources by 2035 and 18% by 2060.
However, as of September this year, it had not achieved its 2020 target to install 58 gigawatts of nuclear capacity. Additionally, China has not committed to the pledge made by 20 countries at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050.
