Atomic Power Is In Again—and China Has the Edge

https://wsj.com/world/china/atomic-power-is-in-againand-china-ha…

China’s push to reduce its use of fossil fuels and imports of oil and gas has put the country at the forefront of civilian nuclear technology, as climate change is bringing nuclear power back into vogue.

The country became the first in the world to put the latest generation of nuclear power technology into use, China said Wednesday, as a power plant with two new reactors started commercial operations in the eastern province of Shandong.

The new plant uses fourth-generation reactors, which are considered to be safer and more fuel efficient by an international consortium of nuclear countries. The consortium has approved six types of such reactors, and China is trying to build all of them.The new reactors put China “ahead of other countries in terms of nuclear technology research and development,” said Francois Morin, China director of the World Nuclear Association, a London-based industry group. Western countries aren’t expected to start bringing their own fourth-generation nuclear plants online until the early 2030s, he said.