Coal is China's main energy source, satisfying 75% of the country's energy needs.
[Ref: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, cited by Europe Information Service'sÊ
European Report, September 7, 2005]
Jesus in Beijing
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China links from IAEA
* China Atomic Energy Authority
* China National Nuclear Corporation
* China Engineering and Technology
* Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology
* National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
* University of Science and Technology of China
March 21, 2008
China Nuclear Energy Congress
nuclear.com was heartened to see that one of the key points emphasized in the brochure for upcoming conference in China was "Promoting the industry transparency and corporate social responsibility for the sustainable nuclear energy future in China." This emphasis offers best hope for nuclear safety, and its an especially tough challenge for a society in which dissent has long been punished. I wish could be there for the June meeting and the associated plant tour. A pdf of the brochure is available here.
March 5, 2008
* China's public version of defense budget swells by more than 17%
January 22, 2008
[Source: highlight on front page of today's The Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, Texas)
May 28, 2007
40 gigawatts of nuclear power plant capacity by 2020 for China
China has set a goal to raise its nuclear power generation capacity more than fourfold -- to 40 gigawatts -- by 2020. The 40 gigawatts will account for about 4% of China's projected power generation in 2020, up from 1.9% last year. In 2002, China spun off five organizations, from the behemoth State Power Corp., to control the nation's nuclear power industry. Two of the five have dominated the industry so far (China National Nuclear Corp., and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding), but a third (China Power Investment Corp.) has joined the other two as equal minority shareholders in an organization formed last week -- the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. The new organization was set up as the acquirer of technology under the technology transfer agreement with Toshiba's Westinghouse unit. The technology transfer provisions were reportedly a big factor in China's award of contract valued at $6-billion for four reactors based on Westinghouse's AP1000 design. The majority owner of the new organization is the government-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which holds a 60% interest.
[Ref: Eric Ng, "Mainland enters new nuclear energy era; State Nuclear Power leads acquisition of US 3G technology", South China Morning Post, May 28, 2007, p. 2]
May 25, 2007
*
US, China Move Forward on Environment, Energy Issues
Cheryl Pellerin, USINFO (US Dept of State)
China already uses twice as much coal as the USA, and this article cites CEQ Chair James Connaughton as telling press briefing this week "That number is expected to double by 2020." It wasn't clear from the article if he was talking about the China-US ratio number actually cited, or China's coal use overall. Details, details. Another tidbit from Connaughton: China has one-tenth as many cars as the US today. By 2020, US and China are expected to have the same number of vehicles. The article discusses a variety of energy-environment initiatives coming out of a bilateral meeting in Washington -- the May 22-23 Strategic Economic Dialog (SED) -- which brought together 30+ ministerial officials. One high-profile project involves capturing methane from coal mines. Burning the methane is seen as a good thing, because the extra CO2 from combustion represents smaller carbon footprint than the methane emissions.
March 23, 2007
December 14, 2006
*
Skepticism over China nuclear capability
David Isenberg, Malaysia Sun
Does the US exaggerate China's nuclear weapons capability and threat? This author says yes, sort of. He also argues that the scare stories actually end up creating advances by China which the author presents as scary in itself. Call it a scare story jumble.
October 25, 2006
*
First reactor of Tianwan NPP in China to reach full capacity in ...
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW, October 25 - The first reactor of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China will reach full capacity in December, the head of Russia's ...
July 4, 2006
China - 2 new 1080-MW units approved for Hongyanhe; online by 2011
At the end of last year, Guangdong Nuclear obtained the initial go-ahead from the NDRC to build two 1,080-MW reactors in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. The two units will be at Hongyanhe, 104 kilometres north of the port city Dalian, and are expected to come on stream by 2011. The project will involve an investment of US$2.8 billion.
[Source: Qiao Junping (Beijing representative of Guangdong Nuclear), cited by Wang Ying, , "Timescale laid out for first inland nuke plant", China Daily, July 4, 2006, p. 13]
China - 600-MW plant planned for Hunan province, the nation's first non-coastal site
China National Nuclear Corp. is a state-owned company. Known as China Nuclear, it is China's biggest nuclear reactor builder. Currently only two companies, China Nuclear and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, are authorized to build nuclear reactors. Other power firms can participate only by taking a stake in these firms. The firms compete for approval of proposed projects in China. The nation's goal to have 40,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2020 means that the equivalent of about two 1,000-MW reactors need to be built annually over the next 15 years.
China now has 10 nuclear plants in commercial operation, with a total capacity of about 8,000 MW. These are all located in coastal regions, such as Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Last Thursday, China Nuclear opened an office in landlocked Hunan province, to do preparatory work for what would be the nation's first inland nuclear plant -- a Chinese-design 600-MW plant in Taohuajiang, which is about 100 kilometers from the province's capital Changsha. The plant will draw water from a branch of the Yangtze River. The company expects to start building in three to five years. "We expect to complete the preliminary work as soon as possible, but the final timetable is to be set by the State Council and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)," said a company official, who declined to be named. The source also said that the company is looking at a number of other sites in the land-locked provinces of Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan.
[Source: Wang Ying, , "Timescale laid out for first inland nuke plant", China Daily, July 4, 2006, p. 13]
China floats the equivalent of "up is down"
Under the proposed law dealing with emergencies, media outlets could face fines of up to US$12,500 if they "report the development and handling of emergencies without authorization." The draft defines emergencies as industrial accidents, natural disasters, and health and public security crises. The law's intent is not to prevent the truth being revealed, according to Wang Yongqing, vice-minister of the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office, but rather to allow the timely release of accurate information. Government officials who fail to provide such information could face up to seven years in jail. Wang said the legislation is designed to prevent the dissemination of groundless or false news and rumors which could mislead the public and cause social panic.
[Source: Sun Shangwu, "Emergency response law 'will ensure accurate info'; Fines aim to prevent media from misleading public, causing chaos", China Daily, July 4, 2006, p. 1]
China passes UK to become world's 4th largest economy
China's $2.2-trillion in output for 2005 was slightly higher than Britain's, using World Bank's "Atlas" methodology which smooths out exchange rate fluctuations. USA, Japan, and Germany are top three.
[Source: China Daily, "China now 4th largest economy, says WB", July 4, 2006, p. 1]
July 1, 2006
* China's response capabilities to nuclear emergency - broad outline adopted for 5-year plan
June 20, 2006
*
China expected to join Multinational Design Approval Program (MDAP) for Gen III and IV reactors
* [2006-05-29] Official: Worries over nuclear plant unnecessary * [2006-05-27] China "unlikely" to take part in Asian marine drill * [2006-05-25] China criticizes Pentagon's military report * [2006-05-24] China's energy demand to be mainly self-satisfied: senior planner * [2006-05-23] China key to resolving nuclear crises: Annan * [2006-05-23] China, ROK vice foreign ministers hold talks in Beijing * [2006-05-22] Update 1-EDF looks to bigger China role, eyes nuclear JV * [2006-05-18] New nuclear power project launched in E. China * [2006-05-14] China's largest nuclear generator joins power grid * [2006-05-13] China's largest nuclear generator connected to power grid * [2006-05-13] China uranium exports no issue for US, Howard says * [2006-05-11] China pushes six nations to nuke talk * [2006-05-10] Flood of angry opposition to dam gets China's attention * [2006-05-09] China's 'two-faced' nuclear stance * [2006-05-08] China faces shortage of nuclear workers * [2006-05-07] China seeks nuclear-powered energy security * [2006-05-05] Commentary: New Red Wing shoes are a good fit ... ItÕs the sort of regime we toppled in Iraq - supposedly because it was a threat to us. China has nuclear weapons and an army of millions. ...
* [2006-05-03] US experts cut by half size estimate of China nuclear arsenal * [2006-05-03] Emergency system key to nuclear safety * [2006-05-02] Taiwan needs nuclear power * [2006-04-30] Qinshan II commences expansion * [2006-04-29] Bill governing low-radiation nuclear waste storage passed * [2006-04-28] China's first self-designed nuclear power station starts expansion * [2006-04-26] Ukraine expects to cooperate with China in peaceful use of nuclear energy * [2006-04-22] China's Hu Says His Nation, U.S. Destined to Be Partners * [2006-04-21] Nuclear dreams clouded by cost, waste * [2006-04-21] Bush Talks Tough in China Trade Fights * [2006-04-20] Give China all the uranium it wants * [2006-04-20] Bush-Hu Meeting To Highlight Role That China Plays * [2006-04-18] In Candor From China, Efforts to Ease Anxiety * [2006-04-07] Report IG-0723: Inspection Report "The Department of Energy's Review of Export License Applications for China" * [2006-04-07] Nuclear powerhouse--This week's China deal may prove to be a watershed in our attitude to uranium exports April 6, 2006
* Uranium sales to proliferators free up other uranium for weapons programs
* China - nuclear proliferation record poor despite signing NPT and missile treaty
* Nuclear weapons - "rollback" proposal by Sandy Gordon
* [2006-04-04] China hopes all parties strive for early resumption of six party talks: FM spokesman * [2006-04-04] Australia says Taiwan uranium sales okay by China * [2006-04-03] Australia to Sell Uranium to China for Energy * [2006-04-03] Environment Centre criticises China uranium deal * [2006-04-03] China uranium exports to start 2010 * [2006-04-03] China uranium exports to start 2010 * [2006-04-03] Australia, China sign uranium trade deal * [2006-04-03] US stops short of backing Australia-China uranium deal * [2006-04-03] China deal to break open Australian nuclear industry * [2006-04-02] China ready to meet Australia uranium safeguards - Wen * [2006-04-02] Australia and China poised to sign uranium deal * [2006-04-02] Australia says uranium deal with China to have strict safeguards * [2006-04-02] Safeguards set for uranium deal with China * [2006-04-02] Concerns over Chinese uranium deal * [2006-04-01] Australian foreign policy and the rise of China * [2006-04-01] 'Strict safeguards' for China nuke sales * [2006-04-01] Chinese PM arrives in Australia for uranium talks * [2006-03-30] China, France discuss sustainable development * [2006-03-29] China's energy needs drive uranium search * [2006-03-29] Switching to More Subtle Tactics on China * [2006-03-29] Senior CPC official vows to promote China-ROK ties * [2006-03-28] China gains access to Aussie uranium * [2006-03-28] China fires nuclear reaction * [2006-03-28] Australian PM upbeat about prospects of nuclear deal with China * [2006-03-28] Uranium deal with China close, Govt says * [2006-03-27] China to sign energy co-op deal with Australia * [2006-03-27] China to explore for our uranium * [2006-03-24] Nuclear an integral part of China's 15-year energy plan * [2006-03-23] China outlines long-term nuclear development * [2006-03-23] Bush to meet Chinese leader Hu on April 20 * [2006-03-20] Security talks put China-US tension back in focus * [2006-03-16] Westinghouse reportedly ahead in China * [2006-03-16] Rice: China Must Explain Military Buildup * [2006-03-16] Putin to discuss energy co-op during visit to China * [2006-03-14] China, Australia positive about cooperating in peaceful use of nuclear energy * [2006-03-13] Australian uranium must facilitate China's nuclear ... The Howard government will soon get Labor backing to sell Australian uranium into China's nuclear industry ...
* [2006-03-13] Papers vanish from Archives ... National Archives in the late 1990s, historian William Burr stumbled onto a 1962 telegram written by fabled diplomat George Kennan about China's nuclear program ...
* [2006-03-11] Regulator Warns on China Environment Woes * [2006-03-10] China raises stakes on renewable energy * [2006-03-07] Wind power could top hydro in China, expert says February 27, 2006
China - 2 or 3 new n-plants a year through 2020 needed to meet national goal
An Associated Press story this morning, headlined "China announces plans to build 32 nuclear power plants in next 15 years", discussed latest estimates from Chinese officials. The information came from the 6th China-EU Energy Corporation Conference in Shanghai. A Xinhua story this morning, titled "China look to beef up efforts to develop nuclear power" provides similar detail: China plans to increase its combined installed capacity of nuclear power stations to 40 million kilowatts by 2020, or four percent of the mainland's total. "To realise this goal, two or three generating units have to be launched every year, with a capacity of at least 1 million kilowatts each," said Shen Wenquan, deputy chief of the science and technology committee of China National Nuclear Corporation. Xinhua also reports experts at the conference as saying that the government hopes to launch projects on its own "third-generation" nuclear technologies by 2012 and build a prototype fast breeder reactor by 2020.
February 18, 2006
China - perhaps June decision on next 4 n-plants
China plans to build as many as 32 more nuclear reactors in the next 15 years, supplying 6 per cent of the country's total power demand, compared with the current level of 2.3 per cent.
Talks concerning which foreign company to choose for designing technology in China's four nuclear reactors in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces are still going on, and a final decision may be expected in May or June 2006, sources said. A senior official close to the talks told China Daily Friday that the talks are getting very complicated: "Many factors -- technical, economic, political and the like -- are in our consideration." The State Council will take the final decision. The final winner of the bidding was to have been chosen last October, but a senior official from China National Nuclear Corp. told China Daily in December that the talks would be 'definately' put off over disagreements in price and technology details. Because of the prolonged negotiations, the construction schedule will also suffer delays, which had been scheduled to start at the end of next year, the CNNC official said.
[Source: Mai Dou, "Reactor decision expected", China Daily, February 18, 2006, p. 7]
January 3, 2006
* Pakistan may buy $7-10 billion worth of Chinese n-plants, adding 3600-4800 MW online by 2025
* 2005-03-29: China sends "goodwill delegation" to North Korea * 2005-03-28: Proposed uranium deal to China raises weapons concern * 2005-03-28: North Korea Experiments, With China as Its Model * 2005-03-26: China's Hu to Visit N.Korea in Early May--Report * 2005-03-25: Iran Should Grant the IAEA Further Access to Parchin * 2005-03-24: China says no breakthrough on North Korea nuclear talks * 2005-03-24: China says no breakthrough on North Korea nuclear talks * 2005-03-24: China says no breakthrough on six-party talks during NKorea premier visit * 2005-03-22: North Korea has not given up on nuclear talks * 2005-03-22: China Balks at Pressing the North Koreans * 2005-03-22: North Korea's Premier Visits China * 2005-03-22: N.Korea Premier Visits China Amid New Nuclear Claims * 2005-03-21: Rice Warns Europe Not to Sell Advanced Weaponry to China * 2005-03-21: Rice Seeks China's Aid on N. Korea Talks * 2005-03-21: Impatient U.S. Pushes China Amid N.Korea Nukes Split * 2005-03-21: Rice warns NKorea of "problems" ahead, cautions EU on China arms ban * 2005-03-20: Rice Seeks China's Help on N. Korea Talks * 2005-03-20: U.S. pushes China to return North Korea to nuke talks * 2005-03-20: Rice: European Nations Must Not Arm China * 2005-03-18: Ukraine admits exporting missiles to Iran and China Ukraine has admitted that it exported 12 cruise missiles to Iran and six to China... Svyatoslav Piskun, Ukraine's prosecutor-general, told the FT that 18 X-55 cruise missiles, also known as Kh-55s or AS-15s, were exported in 2001. None of the missiles was exported with the nuclear warheads they were designed to carry. However, Japan and the US say they are worried by what appears to have been a significant leak of technology from the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. The X-55 has a range of 3,000 km, enough to put Japan within striking range of the Asian continent or to reach Israel from Iran. ... Mr Piskun's admission that Ukraine sold the missiles is the first confirmation by a government official that the exports occurred. The case was made public last month by a member of Ukraine's parliament, whose account Mr Piskun largely confirmed... Ukraine had about 1,000 of the missiles in its arsenal after the break-up of the Soviet Union, about half of which were meant to have been turned over to Russia in the 1990s and the other half of which were supposed to have been destroyed under a US-funded disarmament programme. The previous government arrested and charged a Ukrainian businessman for the exports and initiated a secret trial last year, which was still under way, Mr Piskun said. Two Russian businessmen were suspected of masterminding the sale, Mr Piskun said, one of whom, Oleg Orlov, was arrested last July in Prague in response to a Ukrainian warrant. The Czech justice ministry said it was holding Mr Orlov pending a hearing on Ukraine's extradition request. Olexander Turchinov, new chief of the SBU, has reopened the investigation and has found grounds to suspect two former arms-export officials, Mr Piskun's spokesman said. A spokeswoman for Mr Turchinov confirmed that further investigations and a secret trial were under way in connection with the case... The US embassy in Kiev said it was "closely monitoring" the investigation and wanted the findings of a secret trial made public. ... Kishichiro Amae, Japan's ambassador in Kiev, ... said the new Ukrainian government had shown its readiness to investigate the previous government's misdemeanours when it indicted three high-ranking interior ministry officers this month for the murder in 2000 of journalist Georgy Gongadze. But he said the cruise missile case was more serious. "If it is handled in secrecy, the new government will lose the confidence of the world."
* 2005-03-18: Dirty truth about nuclear terrorism Since the 1950s, millions of radioactive sources have been distributed worldwide for medical treatment, food processing and a wide-array of industrial and commercial applications. This has yielded many economic and social benefits. But some of these radioisotopes emit high levels of radiation and can be dangerous if mishandled. The IAEA estimates that thousands of radioactive sources have been abandoned, lost, misplaced, stolen or removed without authorisation. It has found that more than 100 countries may have inadequate control and monitoring programmes. It says that only about half are working with the IAEA to strengthen controls. ... William Potter, director of the nonproliferation centre at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, told a meeting of nuclear experts in Sydney in November that given the significant quantities of radioactive material currently outside regulatory control, a radiological or "dirty" bomb attack by terrorists was "all but inevitable". Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, has said repeatedly that the world is racing against time to prevent a terrorist attack involving a nuclear device or a radiological bomb that uses conventional explosives to disperse radioactive poison. Al-Qaeda and affiliated transnational terrorist groups have shown an interest in acquiring both types of weapon.
* 2005-03-18: Rice presses China on fresh North Korea nuke talks * 2005-03-18: Russia,China to consult over NKorean nuclear problem on March 24 * 2005-03-17: Australia starts talks on uranium sales to China * 2005-03-17: Uranium elemental to China trade leap * 2005-03-16: China committed to building lower carbon economy * 2005-03-15: White House Sees Little Risk in China Nuclear Deal * 2005-03-15: China must play bigger role in North Korea nukes talks: US * 2005-03-15: Defense Minister Yoon to Visit China for Talks on N. Korea * 2005-03-14: NKorea, China to dominate Rice's first Asia tour * 2005-03-14: Editorial: Hu Jintao's China * 2005-03-13: Rice to push China on North Korea nukes amid split * 2005-03-12: US watches China warily * 2005-03-11: Nuke power and China's energy sector * 2005-03-08: More Millstone Machinations * 2005-03-07: ... booming uranium market The spot price of uranium, which determines how much miners charge nuclear power companies for the radioactive metal, had been languishing at about $10 per pound since the late 1980s. Last year, however, uranium prices shot up to $20 per pound, a 20-year high. This was because uranium stockpiles were shrinking and production from mines was low, but demand from the nuclear power sector was growing. China and India both have plans to build many new nuclear power stations to help fuel their rapid industrialisation. In the developed world, support for nuclear power appears to be growing as politicians look for ways to cut fossil fuel consumption and tackle climate change. WMC, the Australian uranium, copper and nickel miner, has forecast that worries of a uranium shortage will push prices up to $30 a pound. Canada and Australia - large producers of uranium - have traditionally been the centers of investment in uranium. But the London market is starting to develop an interest in the commodity as investors rush to jump on the uranium bandwagon. Vane Minerals, one of London's "junior miners", has formed a US-based uranium subsidiary to develop up to 35 projects in North America, all of which have been drilled in the past. The group said the projects were "located within a uranium district with significant past production as well as significant resources", but would not give specific details until after all the deals were finalised. Vane said the properties had not been mined by their previous owners because the price of uranium had been low for many years.
* 2005-03-07: China Doubts U.S. Data on North Korean Nuclear Work * 2005-03-07: US rejects separate talks with North Korea * 2005-03-06: China warns US, Japan to keep Taiwan out of military pact * 2005-03-06: China: N. Korea Willing to Discuss Nukes * 2005-03-06: China stands up for North Korean concerns in nuclear talks * 2005-03-05: Clinton: Mutual trust key in settling North Korea, Iraq, China issues * 2005-03-05: China Calls U.S. to Start N. Korea Talks * 2005-03-05: Chinese officials urge bilateral US-NKorea talks to solve nuclear standoff * 2005-03-03: China Urges US Flexibility on NK * 2005-03-02: What China Whispers to North Korea * 2005-03-02: Top China Aide in Seoul on N.Korea Nuclear Crisis * 2005-03-02: China's Top Nuclear Negotiator in Seoul to Discuss 'Fresh Changes' * 2005-03-02: U.S. Lawmakers Warn Europe on Arms Sales to China * 2005-03-01: Westinghouse bids for China nuclear work * 2005-03-01: NRC Issues Licenses Allowing Westinghouse to Export Nuclear Reactor Equipment and Fuel to China * 2005-03-01: US, Japan send China a message * 2005-03-01: China urges more sincerity, flexibility for six-party talks February 19, 2005
China bid - if Westinghouse doesn't win, it will be in spite of $5-billion loan/guarantee package from US govt
Westinghouse yesterday won a preliminary commitment for nearly $5-billion in US taxpayer-backed loans and guarantees from the US Export-Import Bank, aimed at helping Westinghouse break into the Chinese nuclear reactor construction market. The financing offer is the largest in the 70-year history of the Ex-Im Bank.
At the end of this month China is set to award a contract for the construction of four nuclear power plants in the Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces as part of an ambitious plan to increase its nuclear generating capacity six-fold by 2020. The construction of plants is due to begin next year.
Westinghouse currently has three nuclear maintenance contracts in China. Framatome, the French nuclear group that has already built reactors on an adjacent site in Guangdong, is bidding for the work. Canada has also sold reactors to China, and might bid on this project too. In a statement yesterday, the bank said that "aggressive competition is expected from companies from other countries, along with the support of their respective governments".
Details of the proposed financing were not released, but generally the bank provides foreign buyers with long-term loans, or guarantees loans from commercial banks, to help provide more attractive financing for buyers of US goods. Typically such support is provided for projects that would otherwise not attract private financing. "None of these corporations would have any nuclear business except when supported by export credits. It's not something that would survive in a normal unsubsidised market," said Bruce Rich, senior lawyer at Environmental Defense in Washington.
[Source: Edward Alden (FT-Washington), "Chinese Nuclear Plants: Westinghouse wins $5bn in bid backing", Financial Times (London, England), February 19, 2005, p. 8]
January 27, 2005
*
China: Execution of Tibetan Prisoners (photos, warning: gruesome)
nuclear.com came across these photos while looking for background material on
claims of the latest Chinese official to defect and seek asylum in Australia (see story here). I don't
want my government to interfere with global trade, not do I want my government to show a bit
of deference to the scumbag leaders of China who perpetuate the kind of repression illustrated
by these photos. As for me, I'll continue to try to do without if the only source I can find
for some product is China.
November 6, 2004
China may soon build 300 gigawatts of n-plant capacity
...[C]onsider the enormous energy needs of China's helter-skelter industrialisation. The rate at which the world's most populous country is burning through oil and gas is staggering. China's oil consumption doubled in the past 10 years, making it the second-largest oil consumer behind the US. It is not surprising, then, that it is at the forefront of developing new nuclear technology, environmental concerns or not. Scientific advisers to China's government reckon the country will soon need a nuclear output of 300 gigawatts, Wired magazine reported in September - not far short of the 350 gigawatts produced around the globe today.
[Source: Stephen Pincock, "Science Matters: The jury is still out on nuclear energy when it comes to the environment, but new studies in China could change all that", Financial Times (London, England), November 6, 2004, p. 13]
* Pebble-bed reactor R&D in China, US - towards a cost-competitive, meltdown-proof alternative
October 8, 2004
China - winners of coming bids expected to get follow-on orders
Potential suppliers for two pairs of third generation nuclear power plants at Sanmen and Yangjiang have a month to decide whether to participate, and five months to lodge their bids, with a decision anticipated late 2005. The tender is issued on behalf of two utilities by China National Technical Export & Import Corp, and follows a meeting with three vendor companies. Bids will be assessed on level of technology, the degree to which it is proven, price, local content, and technology transfer. It is now expected that the successful design will be the basis of future Chinese plants.
The three vendor companies briefed in mid September were Areva, Westinghouse and Atomstroyexport (ASE). Areva will bid its 1600 MWe EPR, Westinghouse its 1090 MWe AP1000 and ASE probably its 1000 MWe AES-92 for the turnkey projects. The first two designs are generation 3+ units, the last is less sophisticated but would probably be cheaper than the expected $1200-1250/kWe overnight capital cost of the others (beyond the initial units). Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co is also wanting to offer its APR-1400 design.
[Source: Nucleonics Week, October 7, 2004, cited in World Nuclear Association Weekly Digest, "China pushes reactor vendors", October 8, 2004]
October 3, 2004
* 7 Chinese firms sanctioned by US for assisting Iran
October 1, 2004
China confirms further new plant
China's State Council has formally approved construction of a further new nuclear power
station at Yangjiang in Guangdong province. It follows recent approval for plants at Lingao and
Sanmen. China Guangdong Nuclear Power, which operates four reactors at Daya Bay and Lingao, has
approval to invest US$ 8 billion in the 3-stage project, finally involving six reactors with
combined capacity of 6000-9000 MWe. It will be open to foreign bids for units of 1000 MWe or
more which are third-generation designs such as Westinghouse AP1000 (now with US NRC design
approval) or Framatome-ANP EPR units (as being constructed in Finland). [Agence France Presse
29/9/04, Nucleonics Week 30/9/04]
[Source: World Nuclear Association Weekly Digest, October 1, 2004
September 18, 2004
China - Yangjiang site earthquake points to slim-looking design safety margin
Provincial government officials recently approved plans to begin building the mainland's biggest nuclear plant in Yangjiang by the end of next year. Yesterday, at about 2.33am, the city was struck by a 4.9-magnitude quake. Yang Maling, director of Guangdong's Earthquake Prediction and Research Centre, said its experts had carefully studied the safety aspects of the planned 66 billion yuan nuclear plant: "We have studied the possibility and strength of tremors Yangjiang will face. We have analysed the risk of building a nuclear plant there and will be constructing a plant that can withstand earthquakes measuring seven in seismic intensity." Mr Yang said yesterday's quake was the third-strongest Yangjiang had experienced since 1969, when it was jolted by a 6.9-magnitude tremor.
[Source: Peter Michael and Kristine Kwok (South China Morning Post), "Quake jolts site of new nuclear power plant; Tremors felt 240km away in Hong Kong, but expert says it is still safe to build", South China Morning Post, September 18, 2004, p. 3]
September 10, 2004
ChinaÕs economic target for 2020 is to quadruple the GDP.
[Source: Kejun Jiang (Energy Research Institute, China),
presentation on the Integrated Policy Assessment Model for China (IPAC), September 2004,
as reported by Mar’a GutiŽrrez (International Institute for Sustainable
Development) et al., "Summary Of The Workshop On Emissions Projections
From Annex I Parties: 6-8 September 2004", Earth Negotiations Bulletin,
v12 n243, 10 September 2004]
August 7, 2004
China discusses use of tactical nukes in Taiwan conflict
Since early this year, Chinese military publications, notably Bingqi Zhishi (Ordnance Knowledge) and Chuanjian Zhishi (Naval Ships), have carried a series of articles about how tactical nuclear weapons would be employed in any cross-strait military conflict. This is unprecedented. Given that Beijing keeps a tight leash over what can be published, its decision to allow public discussion of so drastic a step could be read as a test of public opinion as well as a signal to Taiwan.
[Source: Ching Cheong, "Talk of nuclear risk in Taiwan conflict; Chinese military journals have said such weapons may be used; Taiwan said to be keen on reviving stalled nuke programme", The Straits Times, August 7, 2004]
* Taiwan considering reviving nuclear weapons program
* Taiwan - proposed US arms sale, including anti-missile technology, protested by China
June 5, 2004
China pledges to generate 60 GW -- 10% of power -- with renewables by 2010
China declared on Friday that it would generate 10 percent of its power through renewable sources by 2010. The pledge, made at a conference on renewable energy held in Bonn, Germany, surprised experts with its ambition. If China achieves its goal, they said, it will become a world leader in developing alternatives to fossil fuels, rather than just a world-class consumer. "This commitment was amazing," said Germany's minister for economic cooperation and development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. "The Chinese want to do this on a massive scale," said Christopher Flavin, the president of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research organization in Washington. "They're very serious about it... China is saying that it sees the rapid development of renewable energy as being in its strategic interest," Mr. Flavin said. China's initiative is part of a draft law on the use of renewable energy...
... [E]nergy consumption in China is rising so rapidly that even a national campaign to build windmills or solar-powered houses will barely reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels. The Chinese government said it planned to generate 60 gigawatts of energy from renewable sources by 2010 -- most from small-scale hydroelectric projects -- and 121 gigawatts by 2020. But the share of total electricity from renewable sources will rise to only 12 percent, from 10 percent.
[Source: Mark Landler (NYT Business/Financial Desk), "China Pledges to Increase Use Of Alternative Energy Sources", The New York Times, June 5, 2004, p. C3]
June 3, 2004 China - 75% of power from coal; with plans to boost gas and nuclear in coming years
Coal-rich China now generates 75 percent of its power from coal, often in old and extremely dirty plants. ... [T]he central government wants to increase use of natural gas to 7 percent of the energy mix from the current 3 percent, particularly in electric generation... Currently, China receives just over two percent of its electricity from nuclear plants. According to the World Nuclear Association..., China is expected to install new capacity of 20 GW of nuclear power by 2010 and 40 GW by 2020.
[Source: The Electricity Daily, "Nukes and LNG for China s Boom Times", June 4, 2004]
* China considers building many LNG terminals, to bring gas from Australia and Iran
March 24, 2004
China's increasing use of oil - stats and 2004 projections
China's need for oil soared by 11.4 percent year on year in 2003, making it the world's second largest oil importer, following the United States, according to a report by the Ministry of Commerce issued Tuesday. The report predicts China's annual consumption of crude oil will reach 270 million tons this year, with crude oil imports exceeding 100 million tons. The consumption of petrol, diesel oil and coal oil will add up to 136 million tons, up 4.6 percent year-on-year.
The average price of oil and oil goods also surged by 11.8 percent in Chinese market last year. The report notes that oil price will be flexible and maintain the general level of last year.
[Source: People's Daily Online, "China's annual crude oil imports will exceed 100 million tons: Report", March 24, 2004]
March 23, 2004
* Floating nuclear plant - Rosenergoatom to devote 30-million ruples this year to Sino-Russia project
* China to help with Russia fast-neutron reactor project
March 21, 2004
* German government to nix Siemens n-sale to China
January 25, 2004
China - 2 new plants/year over next 17 years just a drop in their bucket of needs
New China plans to bring two 1,000 megawatt nuclear plants on line each year over the next 17 years. Michael Wong, an engineer with an industry company, is quoted: "it takes two to three years to complete the construction of nuclear power plants". Nuclear plants currently generate about 1 per cent of China's total power generation. That figure is expected to increase to about 4 per cent by 2020. Some 70 per cent of China's energy needs is supplied by the low-grade, high-sulphur coal. As a result, China has perhaps the worst air quality in the world. Its oil consumption has risen 182 per cent since 1980, swinging it from net oil exporter to net importer. And China's own oilfields are increasingly sucked dry. IAEA estimates that China imported an average of 2.9 million barrels a day in September, more than twice the 2001 average. It is now the world's second-largest importer after the United States.
[Source: Olivia Chung, "Mainland's nuclear future", Hong Kong Standard, January 26, 2004]
November 24, 2003
France eyes New China as n-plant market
Francois Loos, French minister delegate for foreign trade, expects further Sino-French cooperation in
the construction of nuclear power plants. Loos said the fast growth of China's economy and the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership
Arrangement (CEPA) between mainland China and Hong Kong offer new impetus and good opportunities for
strengthening of Sino-French trade and economic cooperation.
He added that France hopes to seize every major chance for development amid globalization of the
world economy. [Source: Sophia Zhu (xfn.com), "French govt official sees more nuclear plant ties, expanded car sales in China", AFX News, November 24, 2003]
October 31, 2003
Overview of New China's reactor program
Although China started late and their first nuclear power plant began operation in 1991, they are consistently progressing to develop nuclear power technology and operation. The PWR has been adopted as their current main reactor type for nuclear power. Their policy is to have a closed fuel cycle with commercial fuel reprocessing. They have built and exported a 300 MWe PWR. China is developing a three-loop Advanced Chinese AC-600/1000 PWR, similar to the AP-600 designs. They have made concrete progress in two new areas: low-temperature PWRs and very high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors. They have built a 5 MWt Nuclear Heating Reactor NHR-5 (low-pressure, natural circulation PWR), and they have designed a commercial 200 MWt NHR for district heating.
China's best progress for the next-generation reactors is made in the construction of a high-temperature helium-cooled, spherical pebble bed fuel (PBMR type) 10 MWt High-Temperature Reactor, HTR-10. It has gone through two years of trials, and it was connected to the grid in January 2003. It has a steam turbine for Phase 1, and plans exist for a direct helium turbine for Phase 2.
China is constructing a sodium-cooled 25 MWe experimental fast breeder reactor that is scheduled for criticality in 2005.
[Source: Dr. Debu Majumdar (DOE-senior nuclear advisor, Idaho Operations Office), "Advanced reactors around the world", Nuclear Plant Journal, v21 n5, Sep/Oct 2003, p. 21]
October 28, 2003
China - science dictated by military considerations
Despite your humble nuclear.com editor's love of scientific achievement in general, and
space travel in particular, China's first manned space flight earlier this month
is not cause for celebration. A
new book by former Harvard professor Evan A. Feigenbaum [China's Techno-warriors: National
Security and Strategic Competition From the Nuclear to the Information Age (Stanford U Press,
2003), 360 pp. $55] details how military considerations have dominated the development of
science and technology in China -- Chinese leadership's decisions about weapons needs have
dictated the development of science from the Mao era to the present. The close linkage between
technological development and security has meant that substantial resources have gone into a
few key fields of science where China could claim world-class status, but the rest of its
science lags far behind.
An editorial in The Economist described some of the concerns prompted by the success of the Shenzhou 5 launch: "China will be watched more closely for its military intentions. The rockets that power China's space programme are virtually indistinguishable from the intercontinental ballistic missiles that are intended to carry its nuclear warheads. China has been modernising and expanding its nuclear force for some time; it has already shown that it can release more than one satellite from a single rocket, giving it a capability to put multiple warheads on a single missile should it choose to do so.
"Shocked by America's technological wizardry on display in the first Gulf war, and even more so by the speed of its victory in the second (not to mention the earlier routing of al-Qaeda and the Taliban government that supported it in Afghanistan), China is also working feverishly to overcome more conventional handicaps. Fighter aircraft, bombers, ships and submarines bought from Russia are aimed at deterring America from coming to the assistance of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, in any future crisis. So is the plan to deploy a new radar satellite in 2005, able to peek though the clouds to track America's naval movements near the island.
"In many ways, China and America are rubbing along better now than they have for some time. Neither is looking for a confrontation. But this week's space spectacular, like the military modernisation going on less publicly, is China's way of saying to America, as to others: watch us, and watch out."
The magazine also noted that "...China's first man in the cosmos could bring a new space race. Not with America, which is already too far ahead technologically to bother much. But India, China's chief rival for leadership in the developing world, is egging its scientists on to get a man on the moon too; its government recently approved an unmanned moon shot by 2008. Others may now be tempted to follow."
[Refs: Foreign Affairs, "Recent Books", v82 n6, November/December 2003, pp. 171-172;
Economist, (editorial) "Congratulations, China", v369 i8346, October 18, 2003, p. 11]
August 13, 2003
China: Preliminary approval for the construction of
four new nuclear power reactors has been given by the State Council. According to the China
Daily newspaper, the four units - two to be built near Sanmen, Zhejiang province and two near
Lingdong, Guangdong province - will each have a generating capacity of 1000 MWe. The two units
in Lingdong will be built close to the four existing units at Lingao and Daya Bay, while the
Sanmen reactors will be built near the Qinshan plant. Construction of the new plants could
start before 2005, with operation beginning by 2010. (Nuclear Market Review, 8 August, p2; see
also News Briefing 03.18-5)
[Source: World Nuclear Association, WNA News Briefing NB03.32-12, August 12, 2003]
N-plant construction deal for Pakistan
Pakistan and China have signed a memorandum of
understanding on construction of a second 300 MWe reactor at Pakistan's Chashma Nuclear Power
Plant (Chasnupp). A formal agreement on the proposed Chasnupp-2 unit is expected to be signed
soon. (Nuclear Market Review, 8 August, p2; see also News Briefing 01.18-7)
[Source: World Nuclear Association, WNA News Briefing NB03.32-11, August 12, 2003]
July 24, 2003
China's Qinshan-2 begins commercial ops 112 days ahead of schedule
The 700-MW CANDU-6 reactor joins unit 1, which also came online ahead of schedule (by six weeks) on December 31, 2002. Robert Van Adel, President and Chief Executive Officer of project manager AECL, was quoted in his company's press release as saying that "Qinshan is a showcase for AECL in the engineering and construction of nuclear power plants in China and around the world. This is one of the best technological achievements for Canada in the last ten years."
[Refs: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, press release, "AECL sets records with China Project", July 23, 2003; and Xinhua, "Second heavy-water reactor at Qinshan nuclear plant put into commercial operation", People's Daily Online, July 24, 2003]
July 23, 2003
China offers to finance Russia floating nuclear plant
Russian company Rosenergoatom may get financing from China to construct a
floating nuclear plant to built at Severodvinsk shipyard. China could finance from half to all of the
US$145 million construction. The company is bullish on the prospects for floating plants, because
they could claim a large share of the fast-growing global desalination
market. Their mobility would allow them to provide fresh water and
electricity to coastal areas in Asia and Africa. Associated Press cites a company insider, who asked to remain anonymous,
as saying that Chinese officials have offered a loan for the project. China may build the barges
used for the plants. If the first plant turns out to be safely operated, China may be interested in
joining in more such deals. There have been many "green lights" announced for Russia's
floating nuclear plant project recently, but construction has not yet begun.
[Ref: Associated Press, "Russia, China may cooperate in building floating nuclear power plants",
The Russia Journal, July 23, 2003 11:59 GMT]
June 30, 2003
Japan and China compete for first dibs on Siberia oil pipeline
Japan is sweetening its offer to Russia for a deal involving a proposed 1-million barrel/day oil
pipeline from Siberia to the port at Nakhodka. It is competing against China, which has offered to help build a shorter, less costly pipeline.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Russia has been leaning towards the China deal, and even signed a preliminary agreement with China last month, but the
Japanese offer seems pretty generous. Japan would pay "as much as the entire $5 billion cost of a
2,400-mile pipeline it wants Russia to build", as well as covering "the costs of finding and extracting enough oil to fill the pipeline", according to the paper.
Japan wants alternatives to its current dependence on Mideast -- from where 88% of Japan's oil comes.
China is looking for sources to fill its growing demand. The paper reports that "construction challenges make it unlikely that more than one
pipeline will be built at a time -- meaning the second project would have to wait for years", and that
there are "doubts that Russia can pump enough oil to fill two large pipelines".
[Source: Martin Fackler, "Japan Presses to Win Russian Pipeline --- Last-Minute Enticement, Reflecting Thirst for Oil, Could Derail Chinese Deal", Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2003, p. A14]
June 20, 2003
* If USA's nightmare is a North Korea with n-weapons, China's nightmare is a Japan or Taiwan with 'em. It has been suggested that it's time to share the nightmares...
May 30, 2003
India sees n-threats from governments of China & Pakistan, plus from radicals in Pakistan who might gain acess to that nation's nukes
The "ever-present possibility of hostile radical fundamentalist elements gaining access to
weapons of mass destruction in Pakistan" was one of the major security challenges faced by
India, according to the defence ministry of India's annual report for 2002-03, released Friday.
Amongst the other security challenges listed was the fact that India was surrounded by two
neighbours with nuclear weapons, missiles and a history of past aggression. Other challenges
identified were drug trafficking and the proliferation of small arms.
May 12, 2003
China squeezed out of Kazakhstan oil project
China's government has goal of diversifying the nation's oil supply away from a volatile
Middle East, which now accounts for about half of imports. China's main offshore oil producer,
Cnooc Ltd., was set to buy a stake in one of the world's largest oil projects -- the North
Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement in Kazakhstan -- but was shut out when current
consortium members decided to buy the approximately 17% share of BG Group of the UK, which was
looking to drop out of the deal. The Wall Street Journal reported that "the North Caspian sea
project is particularly tempting [to China]. It includes the potentially prodigious Kashagan
oil field and is located in a region regarded by Beijing as vital to China's security."
[Source: Peter Wonacott, "World Watch: Cnooc Pushed Out of Kazakhstan Oil Project", Wall Street
Journal, May 12, 2003, p. A16]
* China 1998
April, 1991
China's elite personally enriched by nuclear smuggling
... one U.S. official asserted that nuclear smuggling has become "quasi-official Chinese policy." According to information provided by Hong Kong arms dealers, this source said, the top ranks of Chinese firms exporting both nuclear goods and conventional weapons are staffed by the sons and daughters of Chinese leaders, including former party chairman Deng Xiaoping. "The offspring of nearly all China's top leadership are involved in this kind of clandestine trade," he said.
As hard currency flows to the coffers of the Chinese military, leaders' families first take a slice, he said. These funds, deposited in accounts in Switzerland, Macao, and Hong Kong, are said to be used to pay for foreign travel, education abroad, and consumer goods. In some cases, the source said, high-ranking Chinese officials have parked large reserve funds abroad, in case families are exiled following a major political change.
[Source: Mark Hibbs (McGraw-Hill - Bonn), "Cooling towers are key to claim Algeria is building bomb reactor", Nucleonics Week, April 18, 1991, p. 7]
Xie Chuanjiao, China Daily
Reuters
Reuters
Xinhua News
Ben Blanchard, Reuters
Xinhua News
Reuters
Xinhua News
An Bei, Xinhua News
Xinhua News
ABC
Zhang Liuhao, Shanghai Daily
Keiko Yoshioka, Asahi Shimbun
Todd Crowell, Asia Times
UPI
Junichi Miura, Daily Yomiuri
Hudson Star Observer (WI)
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Le Tian, China Daily
China Post
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Xinhua News
China Post
Xinhua News
Xinhua News
Maggie Farley, Los Angeles Times
John Ruwitch, Reuters
Martin Crutsinger, Guardian
Jim Schembri, The Age
Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
Joseph Kahn, New York Times
DOE:IG (pdf-375K)
Joseph Kerr, The Australian
Xinhua News
Reuters
Jane Perlez, New York Times
ABC
Melbourne Herald Sun
News Limited
Michelle Nichols, Reuters
Yahoo! Australia
Yahoo! Australia
Reuters
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! Australia
Saffron Howden, News Limited
Sydney Morning Herald
Graeme Dobell, ABC
The Australian
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Xinhua News
Mary-Anne Toy, Sydney Morning Herald
Paul Blustein, Washington Post
Xinhua News
UPI
Nigel Wilson and Andrew Trounson, News Limited
Yahoo! News
Dana Robertson, ABC
Xinhua News
Mary-Anne Toy and John Garnaut, Sydney Morning Herald
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Xinhua News
Reuters
Lindsay Beck, Reuters
Nuclear Engineering
Anne Gearan, Guardian
Xinhua News
Xinhua News
Scoop.co.nz (New Zealand)
News & Observer (NC)
Audra Ang, Guardian
Bellona
Reuters
Reuters
Janaki Kremmer, ABC News
Howard W. French, New York Times
Reuters
David Albright, ISIS
Anil Ekmecic, Reuters
Anil Ekmecic, Reuters
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Joel Brinkley, New York Times
Joe McDonald, Guardian
John Ruwitch and Jon Herskovitz, Reuters
Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
Anne Gearan, Guardian
Reuters
Yahoo! News
Anne Gearan, Guardian
Saul Hudson, Reuters
Anne Gearan, Guardian
Tom Warner, Financial Times (London, England), p. 10
Michael Richardson (visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore), South China Morning Post, p. 19
Saul Hudson, Reuters
Itar-Tass
Reuters
Tom Allard, Sydney Morning Herald
Xinhua News
Adam Entous, Reuters
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Yonhap News
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Korea Herald
Saul Hudson, Reuters
Adam Brookes, BBC News
Michael Richardson, Korea Herald
Kitty Merrill, Hamptons Independents
Rebecca Bream, Financial Times (London, England), p. 24
Joseph Kahn, New York Times
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Joe McDonald, The Guardian
Yahoo! Singapore
Asahi Shimbun
Joe McDonald, The Guardian
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News
Ryu Jin, Korea Times
Anne Wu, CSIS Washington Quarterly (pdf)
Jack Kim, Reuters
Yonhap News
Thom Shanker and David E. Sanger, New York Times
Jim McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NRC
Lin Cheng-yi, Taipei Times
Xinhua News
Kyunghyang Daily
[Ref: Kerala Kaumudi, "Militants may get access to Pak nukes: India", May 31, 2003
[Source: Nuclear Energy Agency (2000), as presented by THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER: A Study Conducted at The University of Chicago, August 2004, p. 2-5]