| Is it Possible to Reprocess Nuclear Fuel? China Says Yes |
| 23 February 2011 |
 On January 2011, the Chinese state television Cctv announced that Chinese scientists have mastered the technology for reprocessing fuel from nuclear power plants, what was not stated however, was whether or when China would begin to use it. This technology was developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation, situated in the Gobi desert, where it was also tested. The television announcement stated that with this technology a kilo of uranium could produce close to 60 times more power than was currently possible in China.
Several European countries (e.g. France and Britain) and also Russia, India and Japan already have their own reprocessing operations to separate and recover the unused uranium and plutonium but if this technology is to be put into practice, China could cover its energetic demand for at least 3000 years, instead of the 50 or 70 years forecast without this technology. China in fact, is heavily dependent on coal, has 13 nuclear power plants and its nuclear power generating capacity is projected to considerably increase over the next 10 years (more than 26 facilities under construction). The China National Nuclear Corporation planned to invest a considerably large amount of money in the industry by 2020 in order to design its own reactor and reprocessing plants: China, until now has replicated the technology of its suppliers. |
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