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Is nuclear powering the next big thing in Asia?
by matthewdgreen 3y ago
Is nuclear powering the next big thing in Asia?
- fragmede 3y agoIn China, specifically; yes. > It has 38 nuclear power reactors in operation and 19 under construction1/. It has increased its number of operating reactors by more than ten times since 2000 and plans to bring five units into commercial operation this year alone. It is China, the fastest expanding nuclear power generator in the world. -International Atomic Energy Agency https://www.iaea.org/bulletin/how-china-has-become-the-worlds-fastest-expanding-nuclear-power-producer#:~:text=China's%20energy%20regulator%2C%20the%20National,competitive%2C%20Chinese%20experts%20have%20said https://www.iaea.org/bulletin/how-china-has-become-the-world....
- roenxi 3y agoThey're also working out how to build them without easy access to water (NB: edge of the Gobi Desert). These are exciting developments. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-28/china-thorium-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-energy/100351932 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-28/china-thorium-molten-...
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoIn the near term, China will build all its nuclear power plants in the east anyways since they have a surplus of renewable energy in the west with the trick being transmission (UHV infra not withstanding, it still seems to be an issue).
- matthewdgreen 3y agoChina deployed more renewables in the first nine months of 2023 (adjusted for capacity factor!) than will be generated by all 26 of their nuclear plants under construction. If you're talking about "the next big thing", this is it -- the ability to deploy energy generation capacity at rate never seen before in human history. You are "oohing and aahing" over vacuum tubes while humanity invents the microprocessor.