An Analysis of the Development Trend and Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Power in China

Nuclear power is the clean energy that the country encourages to develop. Under the current situation of macro expansion of domestic demand, the pace of construction needs to be greatly accelerated.

I. Development trend of nuclear power

Nuclear power plants are power stations that use large amounts of energy within the nuclear to produce electricity on a large scale. It is similar to our common thermal power plant. It uses steam to drive the turbine to rotate, driving the generator to generate electricity. They differ mainly in the steam supply system. Thermal power plants rely on the chemical energy emitted from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, or natural gas) to make steam, and nuclear power plants rely on the nuclear energy released by the nuclear fission reaction of nuclear fuel to make steam.

1. The development of nuclear power in the world. According to the statistics of the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 443 types of nuclear power plants in operation around the world with a total installed capacity of 396.678 million kilowatts. There are 24 nuclear power units under construction, with an installed capacity of 19.905 million kilowatts. The country with the largest number of nuclear power units is the United States, with 104 nuclear power units in operation, followed by 59 in France, 56 in Japan, 31 in Russia, 23 in the United Kingdom, 20 in South Korea, 18 in Canada, 17 in Germany, and 15 in Ukraine There are 10 in Sweden and 9 in China (excluding Taiwan). Nuclear power plants generate 16% of the world's total, of which France’s nuclear power plants account for 78% of the country’s total electricity generation. These countries’ nuclear power generation costs are already lower than coal.

2. The development trend of China's nuclear power. Starting from the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, China’s nuclear power development strategy has changed from “moderately developing nuclear power” to “proactively developing nuclear power”. At the end of 2006, China completed and put into operation 10 nuclear power units distributed in Guangdong’s Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and Ling’ao Nuclear Power Plant, the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang Province, and Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in Jiangsu Province, with a total installed capacity of 800.82 MW. The five nuclear power units under construction are: Tianwan NPP Phase II, Lingao Nuclear Power Plant Phase II, Qinshan Phase II Expansion, with a total installed capacity of 4,406,600 kilowatts. According to China's mid- and long-term nuclear power development plan: By 2020, China’s nuclear power needs to operate at 4,000 kilowatts, with 18 million kilowatts under construction, accounting for more than 4% of the country’s total installed capacity of electricity during the same period. This means that in the next 14 years, about 40 new nuclear power plants will be built.

3. The development of nuclear power in Fujian Province. The preparatory work for nuclear power in our province started in 1983. After 20 years of unremitting efforts, Ningde and Fuqing nuclear power projects have started construction. Putian, Sanming, Nanping, Lianjiang, and other places are also actively carrying out preparatory work for nuclear power.

Second, the pros and cons of developing nuclear power

1. Nuclear power security. Nuclear power is one of the safest industries in the world. In the history of more than 500 nuclear power reactors over the past 50 years in a total of more than 12,000 reactor years, only two nuclear reactor cores were developed in the 1970s and 1980s. Serious accident. The probability of a core melt accident in a 2nd generation nuclear power plant is 10-6 years, the probability of 2 generations is 10-7 years, and the probability of 3 generations is 10-8 years. The protection of defense in depth is adopted in the design of a new generation of nuclear power plants, providing multiple levels of protection from equipment and measures, ensuring that the power of the reactor can be effectively controlled, fuel components can be adequately cooled, and emission materials can be effectively accommodated. Leakage occurred. The containment of a nuclear power plant reactor can withstand various impacts such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and airplane crashes. It is the protective god of a nuclear power plant and ensures that radioactive materials in nuclear reactors do not escape into the surrounding environment.

2. The environmental protection of nuclear power. Nuclear power is a clean energy source that has a small impact on the environment and consumes less resources. Thermal power plants use the chemical energy released by the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, and nuclear power plants use the nuclear energy released by the nuclear fission reaction of nuclear fuel to generate electricity. Nuclear energy is much larger than chemical energy, so nuclear power used by nuclear power plants consumes far less fossil fuel than power plants of the same power. Millions of kilowatts of generating units, the nuclear power plant only need to add 30 tons of nuclear fuel a year, a heavy truck can be pulled away, and thermal power plants have to consume 3 million tons of raw coal, need a daily train of 40 carriages.

3, the effectiveness of nuclear power. A 1 million-kilowatt nuclear power plant needs about 110 to 13 billion yuan of investment. According to the expert's on-site inspection, it is believed that the site of the furnace (general Wengyu Village) of Xintou Town in Xiuyu District of Putian City has 6 to 12 sets of nuclear power generating units of 1 million kilowatts, which is estimated based on the construction of 6 million kilowatt-class nuclear power units. At least 60 billion yuan in investment, the project is expected to bring about 1.7 billion yuan in tax revenue each year. After the project is completed, it is estimated that an additional education fee of 50 million yuan will be added each year, which can greatly improve the local educational conditions. The nuclear power project has been settled in Putian City. A huge investment will surely drive the rapid economic development of Putian City, and it will greatly promote the coastal industry of Putian City. As a complex product system, the nuclear power industry has relatively high requirements for corresponding supporting facilities. Putian City can use its own advantages to find mutually beneficial entry points for both sides, develop machinery manufacturing and service industries, seize opportunities for industrial upgrading, and promote the entire nuclear power industry. The development of the chain. For example, Haiyan County in Zhejiang Province was originally a relatively backward and poor area. After the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station was established in Haiyan County, it was a large local taxpayer every year. During the construction period, the average annual tax revenue was about 200 million yuan, and by 2006 the output value of nuclear power was as high as 5 billion yuan. With a taxation of up to 800 million yuan, it has effectively promoted the development of the local economy and now ranks 34th among the top 100 counties in the country. Taking Qinshan Phase II two sets of 650,000-kilowatt nuclear power units as an example, the entire project invested RMB 14.8 billion, and a total of RMB 2.4 billion was invested by six shareholders. During the project calculation period (25 years), a return of RMB 200 billion to shareholders was achieved. The country pays 200 billion yuan in taxes, and the repayments and profits of 200 billion yuan have good economic benefits.

4, the limitations of nuclear power. Although the huge amount of investment in nuclear power projects can promote local economic and social development, nuclear power projects have settled in the area. Given the special nature of nuclear power plants, special protections have to be restricted within different distances. The main protection areas of nuclear power plants are divided into non-residential areas and restricted areas, and also include some special protection areas. In non-residential areas with a radius of 0.5 to 1 kilometer around the reactor of a nuclear power plant, the water, soil and original appearance of the site shall be maintained. Except for the buildings of nuclear power plants, construction of any permanent buildings, quarrying, blasting, deforestation shall be prohibited. Soil, building graves, etc. In a restricted area with a radius of 7 km, centered on nuclear reactors, no large-scale industrial enterprises, mining enterprises and institutions may be built, especially large-scale flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, radioactive and other dangerous goods manufacturing enterprises. Facilities such as transportation, pipelines, and warehouses shall not build prisons, large ports and railway hubs; limit the establishment and development of various types of development zones; control the scale of new construction, schools, convalescence, and tourism projects; and control the growth of population and machinery, and should not appear More than 10,000 concentrated resident centers. Within 16 kilometers from the site, it is not appropriate to construct the airport, including the vertical projection of the air corridor and the distance from the edge line within 4 kilometers of the site. The temperature of seawater at the outlet of a nuclear power plant is raised by 4 degrees in a range of 0.6 square kilometers, and the temperature rises by 1 degree in a range of 8 square kilometers. According to the calculation of 6 generating sets, the new nuclear power plant requires a sea area and a land area of ​​about 4,000 mu.