The chairman of one of China’s top nuclear energy firms expects a massive surge of atomic plants in the coming decades to help the nation meet its decarbonization goals.
China’s nuclear fleet would grow to 400 gigawatts by 2060, and account for about 18 percent of the nation’s generation, China General Nuclear Power Group Co chairman Yang Changli (楊長利) said at an industry event yesterday, Shanghai Securities News reported.
That is more than the current global fleet of nuclear plants and about seven times China’s capacity, which provides about 5 percent of the nation’s electricity.
China is leading a nuclear renaissance that has seen nations — including the UK — turn to the technology in a bid to reach climate goals while meeting power needs.
The Asian nation increased nuclear approvals in recent years; last year, it approved 10 new reactors, which are each typically larger than 1 gigawatt.
Yang’s forecast would require a clear step up in the nation’s already ambitious building program, with more than 9 gigawatts of additional nuclear capacity needed every year through 2060.
Annual additions peaked at 7.6 gigawatts in 2016 and have averaged 4.3 gigawatts over the past decade.
Still, Yang’s outlook is not out of line with the most ambitious targets for what is needed for China to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
Researchers at Tsinghua University forecast that nuclear energy would meet 19 percent of the country’s generation by 2060, similar to Yang’s goal.
An American scientist convicted of lying to US authorities about payments from China while he was at Harvard University has rebuilt his research lab in Shenzhen, China, to pursue technology the Chinese government has identified as a national priority: embedding electronics into the human brain. Charles Lieber, 67, is among the world’s leading researchers in brain-computer interfaces. The technology has shown promise in treating conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and restoring movement in paralyzed people. It also has potential military applications: Scientists at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army have investigated brain interfaces as a way to engineer super soldiers by boosting
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
From post offices and parks to stations and even the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s vending machines are ubiquitous, but with the rapid pace of inflation cooling demand for their drinks, operators are being forced to rethink the business. Last month beverage giant DyDo Group Holdings announced it would remove about 20,000 vending machines — about 7 percent of their stock nationwide — by January next year, to “reconstruct a profitable network.” Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage, based in Nagoya, also said last month it would sell its 40,000-machine operation to Osaka-based Lifedrink Co. “The strength of the vending machine
A highway bomb attack in a restive region of southwestern Colombia on Saturday killed 14 people and injured at least 38, the latest spate of violence ahead of next month’s presidential election. Authorities blamed the attack in the Cauca department — a conflict-ridden, coca-growing region — on dissidents of the now-disbanded FARC guerrilla army, who have been sowing violence across the country. “Those who carried out this attack ... are terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on social media. “I want our very best soldiers to confront them,” he added. The leftist leader blamed the bombing