China: Launch world's first next-generation commercial operations

China is seeking to free itself from coal-fired power plants and reduce its dependence on foreign technologies....

China: The world's first next-generation commercial operations has begun by China, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant, state media reported Wednesday

In eastern Shandong province the Shidao Bay plant is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurized water which makes it more efficient and cost-effective, as per reports.

Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. While, these advanced models -- known as small modular reactors, or SMRs -- can be used for other applications that include heating, desalination or steam for industrial needs.

China is trying to free itself from coal-fired power plants and reduce its dependence on foreign technologies against a backdrop of tensions with Western countries.

More than 90 percent of the Shidao Bay plant's equipment is of Chinese design, project manager Zhang Yanxu told Xinhua.

Construction of the plant began in 2012 and the first SMR was connected to the power grid in 2021.

According to proponents, multi-use SMRs could play a central role in decarbonisation and energy transition thanks to their compact and simplified architecture, with their modular design reducing costs and construction time.

 More than 80 SMR projects are currently under development in 18 countries, According to the International Atomic Energy Agency.