China installed a key component to its very first fourth-generation nuclear energy system situated in the Shandong province. The component, added on Sunday, is a pressure vessel of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) which was placed at the Huaneng Shidao Bay nuclear power plant, state media reported.

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According to a statement from Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Co. (HSNPC), the cylindrical pressure vessel - 25 metres high and weighing 610 tons - is the biggest, heaviest, and most complicated pressure vessel for a nuclear reactor. The reactor, which boasts of a design capacity of 200 megawatts, will start generating power by the end of  2017.

The HTGR aims to provide safe, clean and sustainable energy for the future. Such nuclear reactors are designed to shut down once temperatures exceed safe operating conditions. The fuel of such reactors does not burn to produce harmful gases. Also, the materials used in the construction of the reactor's core and the nuclear heat supply system do not have a chemical reaction that produce explosive gases or even heat.

According to the World Nuclear Association, mainland China has 30 nuclear power reactors, 24 under construction, and plans are underway to construct more plants. China has shown increased interest in developing its nuclear power keeping in view its increased pollution from coal-fired plants.

China aims to maximize domestic manufacturing in most of its nuclear power plants, demonstrating self-reliance in design and project management. However, the nation has welcomed and encouraged international cooperation.

World Nuclear Association said that China is "self-sufficient" in terms of its reactor design and construction. It also commended the Chinese government for "making full use of western technology while adapting and improving it."

In the 13th Five Year Plan, China plans to approve six to eight nuclear reactors each year and raise its non-fossil primary energy to 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030 (from 9.8 percent in 2013).

With the installation of the key component at the Huaneng Shidao Bay nuclear power plant, China has already started its journey towards fulfilling the terms of its new Five Year Plan.

Tagsnuclear reactor, nuclear power China, nuclear reactor in China, Huaneng Shidao Bay, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR)