China has followed in the routes of Russia, India and Japan after announcing its understanding on how to reprocess nuclear fuel. The industrial secret in largely kept separate from others, though it enables each country to separate unused materials during the creation of nuclear energy to create additional power sources. This process will give China an unprecedented amount of untapped energy sources, providing them with the ability to power its large economy.
During the process of creating nuclear energy, any unused uranium and plutonium can be used as their own power sources, reducing waste and providing various additional proponents of energy sources. Typically plutonium is used during this process, but uranium is also capable of providing an additional energy source during price increases.
The process, though effective is finding energy alternatives, is also highly controversial as plutonium is a main component in creating nuclear weapons. Already an owner of nuclear weapons, the potential that this discovery holds could magnify the Chinese possession of nuclear fuel to more than 3000 years. The company that made this discovery claims this fuel can last up to 70 years as is.
At this point in time, China has over a dozen nuclear plants but has yet to commercialize on this process. Already their uranium reserves, according to the China Daily, stands at 171 400 t in the areas of Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan. This unique recycling technology was discovered at the China National Nuclear Corporation’s No. 404 Factory in the Gobi desert of Gansu province. China currently produces around 10, 15 gw. |
發表於 2011-1-3 13:29
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