Chinese scientists say they have developed nuclear fuel reprocessing technology that could effectively end uranium supply concerns, state media said Monday, as Beijing strives for energy security.
Chinese scientists say they have developed nuclear fuel reprocessing
technology that could effectively end uranium supply concerns, state media said
Monday, as Beijing strives for energy security.
The technology developed by state-run China National Nuclear Corp. enables the
country to reuse irradiated nuclear fuel, China Central Television said.
"
China
's
proven uranium sources will last only 50 to 70 years, but this now changes to
3,000 years," said the report, which provided scant details on what it
described as a "breakthrough."
Other countries have already developed technology to reprocess spent fuel,
which is extremely costly.
The development would be an important step forward in
China
's
plans to increase the share of alternative power sources in its energy mix to
reduce pollution and achieve energy security.
It has stepped up investment in nuclear power in an effort to slash carbon
emissions and reduce the nation's heavy reliance on polluting coal, which
accounts for 70% of its power needs.
China
, now
the world's second-largest economy after surpassing
Japan
in
2010, aims to get 15% of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
It aims to increase nuclear power capacity to 70-80 gigawatts by 2020,
accounting for about 5% of the country's total installed power capacity, state
press reports have said.
The government said previously the target was 40 gigawatts.
China
,
which currently has 13 nuclear reactors in operation, produces around 750 tons
of uranium a year but annual demand could rise to 20,000 tons a year by 2020,
the China Daily newspaper has said.
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