China begins construction of first offshore nuclear plant

An employee is seen at the stand of CGN (China General Nuclear Power Group) during the 10th China International Exhibition on Nuclear Power Industry 2013 in Shanghai, May 23, 2013. [Photo/IC]

China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN), a leading nuclear power company, has begun building the country's first floating nuclear plant.

According to Daily Economic News, Rui Min, deputy chief engineer of the CGN institute, said the ACPR50S reactor is a decentralized energy system that meets the highest nuclear security requirements. It consists of a small reactor and a floating platform. CGN has completed both the conceptual and program design; the preliminary design work will be finished soon.

Many in the industry say that offshore nuclear power plants boast several advantages. For one, their operating costs are lower; 1 kilowatt of electricity generated by an offshore nuclear plant costs about 0.9 yuan, while the same quantity generated by diesel for the use of drilling platforms in the Bohai Sea costs 2 yuan.

In addition to providing electricity, the platform also has other functions such as desalination of seawater, which can form an energy supply system providing heat, water and electricity. Crucially, the mobile platform can provide electricity to drilling platforms and reefs that are far from the coastline. It is therefore essential to the country's marine strategies.