Two units are being acquired from Russia and a domestic design is in the works
China’s massive drive to build 70 GWe of conventional light water reactors by 2020 will be augmented by an emerging effort to also build advanced “fast” sodium-cooled reactors (large graphic) that burn and produce nuclear fuel at the same time. The Wall Street Journal reported Oct 30 the “Experimental Fast Reactor” is being designed to have a power generating capacity of 800 MW and is due to come online in 2020.
The WSJ report indicated the fast reactor would be built at Sanming City in Fujian province. However, an Oct 15 report by World Nuclear News put the two Russian units at a coastal location though possibly still in the same province. In any case, the WSJ report indicates the project will break ground by 2013.
Xu Mi, the chief engineer (right) of the Fast Reactor Experiment Department at the China Institute of Atomic Energy is reportedly the leader of the effort. An undated 24-page English translation of the conceptual design for the Chinese fast reactor by this engineer was published by the IAEA. It is for a 65 MW unit and appears to have been published following initial R&D work in the late 1990s. More recently, he was listed on the program of the 2009 China Nuclear Energy Congress held in Beijing May 19-21,2009.
China to buy two units from Russia
Not all the work will be home grown. Like its work on light water reactors, China is developing its new fast reactors with a combination of its own scientific work and buying needed expertise from other sources. China signed an agreement with Russia to build two fast reactor units similar to the BN-800. If the agreement is carried out as planned, it will be the first export of a fast reactor by Russia.
While there are numerous R&D efforts related to fast reactors, only Russia is committed to the design for commercial purposes. According to the GlobalSecurity, Russia is working toward having the BN-800 in commercial service as early as 2012
U.S. lags behind Chinese and Russian efforts
Early work on fast reactors in the U.S. took place at Argonne West in Idaho (EBR-II) and was shut down in the mid-1990s. More recently, GE-Hitachi has indicated it is developing its PRISM rector based on the Integral Fast Reactor design. According to the NRC, GEH plans to submit the PRISM reactor design for certification in 2011.
If it meets that milestone, the NRC could issue a Safety Evaluation Report by 2015. An commercial reactor, depending on size, could be operating in the realm of 2020-2022.
Additional Information
See also the report on this blog from last June on the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) and the excellent briefing on the IFR by Barry Brook and Steve Kirsch on the blog Brave New Climate.
For more information on technical aspects of fast reactors, see the World Nuclear Association briefing on this technology. For a plain English briefing, with pros-and-cons of the technology, see What is Nuclear.
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Idaho Samizdat is a
blog about the political and economic aspects of nuclear energy and nonproliferation issues. It covers the nuclear energy industry globally. Additionally, the blog has regional coverage on uranium mining in the western U.S.
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