If nuclear is to scale up in India and China then fast reactors and fuel reprocessing need to happen.
There are only enough uranium reserves in the world for like a hundred years of energy consumption, but with plutonium produced by fast reactors this same fuel would provide the world with energy for thousands of years.
Regular LWRs with the regular once through fuel cycle only covert a couple percent of the fuel into useable power, while fast reactors can convert most of it. Like 20x more.
China build power generation stations in the coal region and use HVDC lines to transport the outputs to the coastal regions.Coal has a lot of hidden issues. Besides the health issues caused by mining and burning coal, it is high volume, you need to transport it to the power plant. This typically needs railways and dedicated trains and wagons.
In China you have the issue you need to transport coal from the mines in the north to the south of the country. The alternative is coal imports by boat but this causes dependency issues.
No real need for fast reactors.If nuclear is to scale up in India and China then fast reactors and fuel reprocessing need to happen.
There are only enough uranium reserves in the world for like a hundred years of energy consumption, but with plutonium produced by fast reactors this same fuel would provide the world with energy for thousands of years.
Regular LWRs with the regular once through fuel cycle only covert a couple percent of the fuel into useable power, while fast reactors can convert most of it. Like 20x more.
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, in Seoul on Friday to discuss cooperation in the field of energy, Kim's office said.
According to the industry ministry, the two sides discussed cooperation between TerraPower, a nuclear power company co-founded by Gates that develops next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs), and South Korean companies.
.....Hidden clause in US nuclear deal puts South Korea’s industrial autonomy at risk
Reported clause granting 50-year oversight and royalties raises sovereignty concerns as KHNP competes for reactor bids
The presidential office has ordered a fact-finding probe into a recently finalized nuclear power deal with the Czech Republic, clouding the outlook for both the 26 trillion-won ($18.7 billion) contract and future exports of Korean reactors.
The directive, announced by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on Tuesday, came after the revelation that the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) agreed to provide U.S. energy firm Westinghouse with procurements and royalties worth about 1.14 trillion won per nuclear reactor, which was first reported by The Seoul Economic Daily on Monday.
“There were essentially two main orders," the spokesperson said. "First, address public doubts surrounding the nuclear power plant export deal with the Czech Republic. Second, verify whether the negotiations and contract signing were carried out following the law and principles, and whether proper procedures were observed.”