China is set to push ahead with plans to set up a locally developed marine nuclear propulsion reactor by 2020, after the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) approved the project for a small marine nuclear propulsion reactor, called ACPR50S, to be included in China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for the energy industry, according to China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN), a leading atomic power company.
China Daily reported that CGN, which is currently working on the preliminary design for ACPR50S, is expected to start construction in 2017 and be commissioned by 2020.
According to NDRC, CGN has to speed up efforts in the research and innovation of core technologies, design and key components to meet the demand for "mass production" of maritime atomic propulsion.
CGN said that the 200-megawatt ACPR50S reactor can be equipped inside a section of a ship, which can supply stable and reliable electricity and heat to islands and some projects, which need to be at sea for long periods without refueling, such as seawater desalination and offshore oilfield exploration.
"The project has broad applications in providing safe and stable energy for maritime resources exploration and development," CGN said.
According to the report, CGN is also developing another small nuclear reactor, the ACPR100, with a capacity of 450 mW per unit, which can supplement large-scale land-based nuclear power plants and can be used in some remote areas and large industrial clusters.
Experts said that land-based nuclear reactors produce up to around 1,000 mW of power, while a typical marine propulsion reactor produces no more than a few hundred mW.
China Daily cited sources who said that the two nuclear companies--China National Nuclear Corp. and CGN--are working with China Shipbuilding Industry Corp., a major shipbuilder, to build nuclear-powered vessels.
"Compared with conventional ships, nuclear-powered ships can travel further with more reliable fuel, enabling them to complete missions like polar expeditions," the source said.
In 2014, CSIC set up a national research center, called 719, to develop maritime nuclear power platform and core technologies in the field.
The report said that the shipbuilder will start research on a demonstration project for nuclear-propulsion vessels after receiving the NDRC's approval last week.