China still interested in development of nuclear energy
March 31, 2011 Category Alternative energy, Environment
Despite the nuclear crisis in Japan, China is still expected to continue its nuclear development program. State-owned China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) signed an accord last November with France’s Areva for France and China to jointly build a commercial plant to reprocess and recycle spent nuclear fuel in Gansu province. Reprocessed fuel can be used by so-called fast reactors, reducing the need for fresh uranium. China aims to become a major nuclear-power-equipment exporter by building plants, mostly in developing countries. While the nuclear crisis in Japan has prompted the Chinese government to review the country’s nuclear plans, energy experts say that because of a lack of viable energy alternatives, Beijing may have little choice but to pursue its nuclear power strategy. In the wake of the Japanese earthquake, the National People’s Congress (NPC) still approved the country’s nuclear strategy as outlined in the 12th Five Year Plan. Sun Qin, General Manager of the China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), said 2011 to 2015 would be the “active” expansion period, to be followed by a “fast” development stage between 2016 and 2020. In the days following the earthquake in northern Japan, China put its nuclear development plans under review and suspended approvals for new nuclear plants, but given Beijing’s announced target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, “we do not expect the government to slow the pace of nuclear development,” said Gary Chiu at Samsung Securities in Hong Kong. “I can’t think of an effective and sufficient clean energy replacement for nuclear in China in the short to medium term. Wind power is restricted by a power-grid bottleneck, coal is not clean and solar is too expensive.” China made its first foray into nuclear energy when a reactor in Zhejiang province went into operation in late 1991, followed three years later by the first plant in Daya Bay, Guangdong province. Currently there are 13 reactors in operation in Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces. All are more modern than the quake-hit Fukushima facility in Japan. Another 34 reactors in coastal areas are under construction or obtained approval. More plans for nuclear projects are on the drawing board, including further inland, where energy consumption is growing fast and plants can draw on water supplies from various lakes and the Yangtze river. China now accounts for about 40% of all nuclear power projects under way or planned around the world. Last year, nuclear power accounted for a little over 1% of China’s national power generating capacity, which is projected to climb to just under 5% by 2020. By comparison, nuclear-generated power accounts for 76% of France’s electricity, nearly 35% in Japan and 20% in the U.S. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China’s electricity demand is projected to triple between 2008 and 2035. The country is expected to overtake the U.S. as the largest global consumer of electricity by 2012.
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