According to various foreign articles, including a recent one by the Russian defence newspaper Zvezda, China has become the first country in the world to commission a nuclear power plant with a 4th generation nuclear reactor.
The 4th generation reactor was commissioned in the eastern region of Shandong, shortly after it completed a 168-hour-long test operation.
A Terrible Achievement for Beijing
More specifically, the State Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China today announced the first global (civilian) commissioning of a nuclear power plant (NPP) with a 4th generation reactor. This message was published on the official website of the Chinese Directorate.
A nuclear power plant, also called a nuclear power plant or nuclear power station, operates with a nuclear reactor that generates heat, which in turn is used to produce electricity. It is thus considered a renewable energy source.
It should be noted that the Shidaowan nuclear power plant, which, as mentioned above, is located in the Shandong region of eastern China, operates thanks to a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). Prior to the full commissioning of this nuclear power plant, the reactor was tested for 168 consecutive hours.
The Beijing State Energy Administration stressed that the main advantage of a high-temperature air-cooled reactor is safe power generation, an advantage that is combined with the various benefits of a 4th generation nuclear power plant.
According to foreign reports, there have been proposals to develop a fourth-generation very high temperature air-cooled reactor (VHGV), which could initially operate at temperatures of 750 to 950 degrees Celsius.
"This achievement demonstrates that China has reached the world's leading level in the research, development and application of 4th generation nuclear power technology," the Asian nation's energy directorate wrote in its official statement.
According to the Russian website Zvezda, which is run by the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow is also continuing to develop technology related to nuclear power generation. It also reminds us that the first MOX fuel reactor, located at Russia's Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, has recently started operating at full capacity.