Isra-Mart srl:China announces nuclear power breakthrough

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-Mart srl news:

Chinese scientists have claimed a breakthrough in reprocessing fuel from nuclear power plants so that a kilo of uranium could produce almost 60 times more power than currently possible.

State media reported yesterday that techniques developed at the China National Nuclear Corporation, deep in the Gobi desert, would extend the lifetime of the country's uranium deposits from 70 to 3,000 years.

China's nuclear capacity is expected to increase exponentially over the next decade as it looks to supply a growing population and reduce the pollution pumped out by its vast number of coal-fired power stations.

The new technology is likely to prove a key step in expanding China's nuclear sector and could spark a construction boom for plants and reactors.

Russia, India, Japan and several European countries already reprocess nuclear fuel to separate and recover unused uranium and plutonium, reduce waste and close the nuclear cycle.

China has so far failed to disclose whether its new technique differs from those already employed, but Wang Junfeng, project director for the state-run China National Nuclear Corporation, told China Central Television (CCTV) that the chemical process used was effective and safe.

"In this last experiment, we made a preparation of standard quality uranium products and standard quality plutonium products, so we can say we were successful," Wang said.

No mention was made of the scale at which China plans to reprocess fuel, which could prove controversial, considering that the practice is not only costly, but can also be used to produce fissile material for weapons.