Academician Ye Guoan: How can nuclear energy develop in the future to better adapt to green and low-carbon needs?| Service Trade Fair·Academicians and Entrepreneurs Face-to-Face

questions

Hu Guofeng of MCC Southern Urban Environmental Protection Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.

How should nuclear energy technology develop in the future to better adapt to the needs of green and low-carbon development?

answer

Ye Guoan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, chief expert of China Nuclear Corporation, and director of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering of the University of Science and Technology of China

Although nuclear power currently accounts for a small proportion of my country's total power generation, only about 5%, its emission reduction effect is very significant. The carbon dioxide emissions per degree of nuclear power are only about 10 grams. This year we have approved 5 new sites. By 2035, our nuclear power development rate is expected to exceed the three-fold target proposed by Western countries at the CPO28 meeting (Note: At the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, More than 20 countries require that the world's nuclear power production capacity be increased to triple the 2020 level by 2050 to help the world achieve the goal of net-zero emissions). This is a very clear plan. In the future, nuclear power will play a more important role in the energy structure.

At present, the nuclear fuel used in my country's nuclear power plants is uranium-235 in natural uranium, which is also the material used to make atomic bombs. However, the content of uranium-235 in natural uranium is very low, accounting for only 0.7%. Since my country's uranium resources are relatively limited and its dependence on foreign countries is high, an effective solution is to use uranium-238, which accounts for 99.3% of natural uranium.

The future development trend is to promote the recycling of nuclear fuel, rather than just developing nuclear power. First of all, based on the third-generation pressurized water reactor technology we have mastered, we must promote and apply it as much as possible. At the same time, we must vigorously develop fast reactor technology in fourth-generation reactors. Only fast reactor technology can realize fuel recycling and truly use uranium-238. This is the first major direction of future development.

The second major direction is to promote reprocessing technology for nuclear fuel. In order to effectively utilize uranium-238, it needs to be converted into plutonium-239, because uranium-238 itself cannot be used directly. Through post-processing, uranium-238 produced in pressurized water reactors can be recycled. This not only solves the nuclear waste problem, but also brings many benefits: First, reprocessing reduces the need for uranium mining and makes nuclear power cleaner and low-carbon. Secondly, a small amount of carbon dioxide produced by nuclear power mainly comes from uranium mining, and this emission can be effectively reduced through fuel cycle.

In addition, fast reactor technology is also expected to participate in power grid peak regulation in the future and provide heat source for the chemical industry, which will greatly enhance the comprehensive utilization value of nuclear power.

Through the advancement of these technologies, nuclear power will not only provide my country with cleaner and low-carbon energy, but also effectively solve resource problems and provide a solid guarantee for future sustainable development.