With deepening concerns in energy sources and biochemical hazards, China is joining the bandwagon of countries that are developing its nuclear reactor programs.

The Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST), situated in the northwestern part of Anhui Province, is China's hub to what could be the largest nuclear site in the world.

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INEST Director Wu Yican said the Chinese government is prioritizing safe nuclear reactor projects in preparation to the effects of Fukushima nuclear accident. The concept of "sub-critical reactor", Wu added, tackles the processing of nuclear waste to turn into fuel and alternative energy.

According to Wu, the nuclear safety technology is operated using KYIN-II loop, a patented multi-functional bismuth platform that is first built in China. However, he added that the future of nuclear science in the country is a long journey ahead with less than 1,000 researchers working in the field.

The so-called fourth-generation nuclear technology gives emphasis on "inherent safety" standards, which means that all nuclear wastes are either recycled or thrown away with little to no danger to humans or the environment.

The number of INEST scientific researchers has increased to 400 from 30 initially together with 200 published academic papers, 50 invention patents, and 20 scientific recognition.

Wu hopes that more attention and labor will be given in this kind of work to aid people's awareness about the importance of nuclear safety.

To date, China has established 20 nuclear reactors to date and is expected to reach 100 by year 2020. Wu said that although China is quite behind in the schedule of developing its nuclear technology, its facilities and technology is one of the best in the world.

China is now facing energy backlogs, a dilemma similar to other Asian countries. Being the world's largest consumer manufacturer, China needs to cover the energy needed, which windmills and solar panels cannot provide. Coal, when burnt, causes smog that is hazardous as the Air Quality Index dropped to critical levels last October 10.

Currently, more than 30 nations are developing their nuclear program with approximately 400 reactors built in the past 70 years. Historically, only three major accidents were recorded in Three-Mile Island, United States (1979), Chernobyl in the old Russia (1986), and Fukushima, Japan (2011).

TagsInstitute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Nuclear technology, Nuclear energy policy