Re:China to supercharge uranium race with 150 new nuclear re...
by tuatoru on Monday November 08, 2021 @03:23PM
(#29153766)
China absolutely does need to replace its coal-powered electricity plants.
But it also needs a great deal more electricity, for a few reasons.
Away from the coast and the mega cities, there is still a lot of energy poverty.
If China is going to replace coal in iron smelting and steelmaking, it needs to electrolyze a lot of hydrogen.
It also needs electrolyzed hydrogen to replace fossil methane for making ammonia for fertilizer, and for wintertime peak electricity plants (and possibly for engines for ocean-going ships, if it can't use nuclear for them).
If it's going to capture the carbon from its cement plants, it needs power to do that.
Electrolyzed hydrogen and captured CO2 will have to be the new feedstocks for many industrial chemicals and plastics.
I don't think it's either-or with nuclear and wind/PV, it's not hedging bets, it's whatever works locally, ASAP and AMAP.
But it also needs a great deal more electricity, for a few reasons.
Away from the coast and the mega cities, there is still a lot of energy poverty.
If China is going to replace coal in iron smelting and steelmaking, it needs to electrolyze a lot of hydrogen.
It also needs electrolyzed hydrogen to replace fossil methane for making ammonia for fertilizer, and for wintertime peak electricity plants (and possibly for engines for ocean-going ships, if it can't use nuclear for them).
If it's going to capture the carbon from its cement plants, it needs power to do that.
Electrolyzed hydrogen and captured CO2 will have to be the new feedstocks for many industrial chemicals and plastics.
I don't think it's either-or with nuclear and wind/PV, it's not hedging bets, it's whatever works locally, ASAP and AMAP.