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Beijing brings forward date for uranium-free nuclear power plant

BEIJING — China has brought forward its deadline for the world’s first thorium-fuelled facility as part of moves to break its reliance on fossil fuels.

BEIJING — China has brought forward its deadline for the world’s first thorium-fuelled facility as part of moves to break its reliance on fossil fuels.

To reduce the number of coal-fired plants, the government has advanced by 15 years the deadline to develop a nuclear power plant using the radioactive element thorium instead of uranium. A team of researchers in Shanghai has been told it has 10 instead of 25 years to develop the world’s first such plant.

“In the past, the government was interested in nuclear power because of the energy shortage. Now, they are more interested because of smog,” Professor Li Zhong, a scientist working on the project, told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP).

An advanced research centre was set up in January by the Chinese Academy of Sciences with the aim of developing an industrial reactor using thorium molten-salt technology, the newspaper reported.

According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), the country has 20 nuclear plants in operation and another 28 under construction, all uranium-fuelled reactors. China has been importing large quantities of uranium as it attempts to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. However, according to the WNA, thorium is far more abundant.

The researchers said they had come under considerable pressure from the government for it to be successful. Prof Li said nuclear power was the “only solution” to replace coal and thorium “carries much hope”.

There is still a lot unknown about thorium but plenty of research is being carried out worldwide. “Other countries around the world are looking at thorium,” said WNA’s Jonathan Cobb. “And technology-wise, using thorium would not be too much of a leap.”

Researchers on the project told SCMP their work is likely to face some opposition from Chinese citizens after the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima.

However, the national nuclear safety administration said the safety of China’s nuclear power plants could be assured and that checks had been stepped up since Fukushima to avoid a similar accident. The Guardian

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