BEIJING – Chinese scientists say they have developed nuclear fuel reprocessing technology that could effectively end uranium supply concerns, state media said, as Beijing strives for energy security.
The technology, developed by state-run China National Nuclear Corp in the remote northwestern province of Gansu, enables the country to re-use irradiated nuclear fuel, China Central Television said. “China’s proven uranium sources will last only 50 to 70 years, but this now changes to 3,000 years”, said the report, which provided scant details on what it described as a breakthrough.
Other countries have already developed technology to reprocess spent fuel, which is extremely costly. “Globally, within the nuclear fuel industry,
we’re one of a minority of countries that can do the nuclear fuel cycle,” Sun Qin, general manager of CNNC, was quoted as saying in the report.
The development would be an important step forward in China’s plans to increase the share of alternative power sources in its energy mix to reduce pollution and achieve energy security.
