- China on Wednesday said the Shidaowan nuclear reactor is officially contributing to the power grid.
- While less powerful than foreign plants, it's the world's first reactor that uses helium, not water.
China on Wednesday announced that it's started commercial operations at the world's first next-generation nuclear reactor.
The new reactor, built in Shandong by state-owned energy company Huaneng, Tsinghua University, and the China National Nuclear Corporation, was hailed as a "landmark achievement" of the country's science program by the National Energy Administration in an announcement on social media.
The Rongcheng Shidaowan reactor is officially being used to supply power to the regional grid after a 168-hour test, the administration said.
It's only capable of producing around 200 megawatts of electricity, compared to other plants like the Grand Gulf reactor in Port Gibson, Mississippi, which is a 1,433 megawatt unit and the most powerful reactor in the US.
The Fukushima plant in Japan had six reactors producing 4.69 gigawatts, while Russia's BN-1200 reactor in Beloyarsk produces 1,200 megawatts.
But the Shidaowan's claim to fame is how it generates power. The reactor is cooled using helium gas instead of water — a boon for China as it struggles to find ample water for its people.
Reactors typically need around 400 to 720 gallons of water for every megawatt produced for an hour, meaning a single nuclear plant can use billions of gallons per day.
Experimental reactors using helium have been built before, such as one in Oarai, Japan, but the Shidaowan is the first to be used commercially.
It's also capable of shutting down automatically if the plant is at risk of a meltdown or leak, even if the reactor loses the ability to cool itself, Xinhua reported.
Most reactors require power to trigger safety measures, so many have diesel generators as backups. But the generators aren't foolproof — Japan's Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011 occurred when generators at the plant there were knocked out by a tsunami.
China aims to produce 10% of its electricity through nuclear power by 2030, as part of a green energy drive. But it's already missed its 2020 target of producing 58 gigawatts with nuclear reactors, instead producing 53 gigawatts.
The country is building 22 new nuclear reactors, by far the most out of any nation in the world, per the International Atomic Energy Agency.
India trails at eight reactors, while the UK is building two, and the US is constructing one.
China currently has 55 nuclear reactors, meaning its energy ambitions would see it pull ahead of France's 56, but still shy of the 93 reactors capable of being used in the US.
Nuclear reactors in the US can generate up to 95.86 gigawatts of electricity, per the IAEA.