China is beating America in the nuclear-energy race
https://www.economist.com/china/2024/09/12/china-is-beating-america-in-the-nuclear-energy-race
China is beating America in the nuclear-energy race
https://www.economist.com/china/2024/09/12/china-is-beating-america-in-the-nuclear-energy-race
27 Comments
Nuclear reactions create lots of heat, which is normally transferred by a coolant and then converted into electricity. With the pumps off, the nuclear fuel might have continued to heat up until it liquefied and damaged the reactor. Such “meltdowns” can release radiation. That is what happened in 2011 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan after a tsunami damaged its cooling systems.
But no such disaster occurred at Shidaowan. At first the reactor did heat up. Then it cooled down before any damage was done, says a paper by the plant’s engineers published in July. This was thanks to the plant’s clever design. Conventional reactors are powered by long fuel rods containing uranium. At Shidaowan, though, the fuel is in the form of tiny particles of uranium coated with carbon and other chemicals, and embedded in tennis-ball-sized spheres. These are known as “pebbles”. They can cope with extremely high temperatures without melting.
Shidaowan is an example of a “fourth generation” reactor. Scientists hope these models will be able to generate power more safely and efficiently than older ones. Many countries are trying to develop them.
Another day, another race. Everything is a race. Western media loves those fearmongering clicks.
Is it really a race if one side is sitting in the shade with an umbrella drink?
Frankly, China is beating America at most things… namely because they are under single-party control and we have to run everything past the approval of a bunch of backwards hillbillies and entrenched corporations.
Considering China’s significant annual contributions to pollution that is accelerating anthropogenic global warming, that they’re converting to nuclear is a win for mankind, not any one nation.
That’s wonderful. More sustainable energy is better for the planet. Environmental consciousness isn’t a race.
They are just using tech we pioneered and abandoned 60 years ago.
We haven’t built any reactors in years haha there is no race
Pebble-bed reactors are not a new technology. They have been around for a while.
Anything to get those two in a headline, huh? We’re running out of fresh water, by the way.
If they keep safe and responsible, then good? They need a lot of power to operate.
It is kind of funny, China is moving forward and the US is going to turn on 3 mile island again. I am sure it can be done safely but where are all of those low risk small reactors we have been waiting for?
China does what China wants to do and what’s for it’s best interest.
America does what Corporations want to do and what’s for Corporations best interest.
It’s not even a fare game anymore.
Well China isn’t funding two overseas wars. What a weird concept to invest in your own country.
Well it’s not really much of a race. America seems to have decided it doesn’t want nuclear energy.
There is no nuclear energy race. Nuclear has been obsolete since the 1980’s. It’s not incompetence that has stopped the building of nuclear plants. It’s obsolescence. Maybe China has a few niche areas where nuclear is a viable option but for now the US does not. Renewables and battery storage is the current technology.
America is too busy fighting amongst themselves with politicians paid for by China and Russia
News flash , everyone is beating the US in everything
As long as they are ruled in the future in ways that is going to be objectively good for people both domestically and internationally then I have nothing against that. I’m not necessarily saying democracy, just something that is gonna be good for everyone.
germany had a pebble bed reactor in the 80’s, so i wouldn’t say china is beating anyone to that race
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_reactor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_reactor)
Let’s all deny more science and keep focusing on cheap gas/savings coal!
This is not surprising in the slightest. China is willing to dump massive amounts of money into long-term projects while American politicians will NEVER support something that they won’t see benefits from before their term ends/reelection. Our nuclear plants and infrastructure as a whole continue to diminish as the world around us flourishes.
Unfortunately, the US stopped focusing on nuclear power long ago. France is the only Western country that has maintained a significant nuclear industry (much to their benefit), but they are no longer expanding capacity.
If China wants to take up the mantle, I see that as a good thing. Someone needs to keep the technology moving forward and China is still the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions.
We stopped building nuclear because of optics we didn’t want the proliferation of nuclear weapons once you have the reactor your very close to getting the weapons it’s really not that far off.
The US needs to push harder on R&D. China seems to have more discipline and motivation in regards to their technological advancements. Our country needs that but I guess we have become more apathetic. This apathy towards research and innovation is going to be detrimental in a couple of decades. I hope politicians can entice our universities, research centers, think tanks etc. to really put more interest into the energy sector.
The Chinese government has made nuclear fusion a priority in its current five-year plan and is funding extensive research projects in this area.
What is the US government doing?
now lets see chinas structural stability of said nuclear power plants