China makes nuclear power breakthrough

Chinese scientists claim to have created energy from a fourth generation nuclear reactor. This means they have reused the uranium 4 times for power generation.

This is a huge breakthrough for nuclear power because it reduces the use of new uranium and optimizes the uranium already processed. The breakthrough comes after the Chinese scientists discovered earlier this year they could reuse nuclear fuel in a specially designed reactor and expand the lifetime of uranium from 50 to 70 years to 3,000 years.

China has been heavily researching options in nuclear power to attempt to reduce their carbon emissions from coal mining, which their main source of electricity.

Nuclear Power Facts

The amount of power contained in one pound of uranium is equivalent to the energy content of 20,000 pounds of coal.

Today, there are 438 active nuclear power plants worldwide producing 16% of the world’s electricity. In the US, nuclear power is responsible for 20% of the total electricity, and makes up 69% of the carbon free electricity (so much for wind and solar.)

50% of the US uranium has been received from Russian reprocessing facilities from decommissioned Russian warheads.

In the US, there have been no deaths from radiation from a nuclear plant in 40 years.

The US hasn’t built a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years, yet China constructs a new one every 3 months. Maybe the Chinese know something we don’t: nuclear power is the answer to clean and affordable energy.

(Sources: Kris Hefton of Vane Minerals, Elliott H. Gue’s article: Uranium Stocks, George Will on Nuclear Power)

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