Core module of world's first commercial small modular reactor passes final acceptance - Global Times
Core module of world's first commercial small modular reactor passes final acceptance - Global Times
The core module of the world's first commercial small modular reactor (SMR) project passed final acceptance of construction on July 13, 2023. Photo: China Central Television
The core module of the world's first commercial small modular reactor (SMR) project passed final acceptance of construction on Thursday, marking a breakthrough in technological innovation of modular small reactor in China.
The core module of the reactor is set to be delivered to the Changjiang nuclear power plant in South China's Hainan Province from the Dalian Nuclear Power Petrochemical affiliated with the First Heavy Industry Group in the city of Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, according to reporting by China Central Television.
The Linglong One reactor, also known as the ACP100, is multi-purpose, small modular pressurized water reactor that self-developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). It is a massive achievement of independent innovation after Hualong One, a domestically designed third-generation nuclear reactor.
Sun Hua, general manager of Hainan Nuclear Power affiliated with the CNNC, said as a "small movable charger of the nuclear power plant," the Linglong One was the world's first SMR approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2016.
Compared with the larger Hualong One, the 125 megawatts Linglong One reactor is designed for electricity generation, urban heating, urban cooling, industrial steam production, or seawater desalination, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Following the completion of the core module of the reactor, China's nuclear power technology and facility construction has achieved a historical leap from previously being a "follower" to now being "a leader" in the field, the CCTV report said.
The project will be beneficial for China's domestic nuclear power technology to "go out" to international market, media reports added.
Global Times
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.