China Becomes the First Country in the World to Commission a Small Modular Nuclear Reactor for Commercial Operation
According to a report from the China Nuclear Energy Association, the first reactor with a capacity of 200 MW at the Shidaowan Nuclear Power Plant in Shidao Bay, Shandong Province, has completed its testing phases and officially connected to the power grid at the end of last month.
Shidaowan Nuclear Power Plant in Shidao Bay, Shandong Province, China. (Photo: WeChat)
This is the world’s first small modular reactor cooled by gas, featuring characteristics of advanced fourth-generation nuclear power systems. It is only one-fifth the size of the third-generation pressurized water reactor Hualong One, allowing for easier scalability and significant savings in construction and operational costs.
The new reactor is also designed to shut down quickly in the event of an emergency, unlike existing systems that may not activate safety measures during power outages, as witnessed during the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan a decade ago.
According to Bloomberg, currently no country is investing in nuclear power “as aggressively” as China. The government plans to invest $440 billion to build new plants over the next 15 years, aiming to surpass the United States to become the leading producer of nuclear power.
China is also heavily investing in nuclear fusion technology—mimicking the reactions of the Sun and stars to generate electricity—which promises to end dependence on fossil fuels. On December 30, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), known as China’s “artificial sun”, set a new world record by maintaining superheated plasma at a temperature of 70 million degrees Celsius for 1,056 seconds.
In addition to Reactor No. 1, the China Huaneng Group is also developing Reactor No. 2 for the Shidaowan plant, which is expected to be fully operational next year.
