China's self-developed and "inherently safe" nuclear microreactor technology has moved from the laboratory phase to commercialization with the establishment of a new industrial platform on Tuesday.
Sichuan Energy Development Group and the China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute jointly set up the platform in Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, unveiling Sichuan Nuclear Energy Industry Co., Ltd., whose core business focuses on the technology research, development and industrialization of advanced nuclear microreactors.
The technology represents a frontier direction in advanced nuclear energy, deeply integrating new energy, new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing, and is considered a key track for future industries.
A microreactor is an advanced nuclear energy device with an electrical power output under 10 megawatts. It is not simply a scaled-down version of a large powerplant reactor, but an entirely new nuclear device that pursues inherent safety and extreme compactness from the very beginning of its design, making portable clean power its defining promise.
"The reactor core is about the size of a household refrigerator, and the entire power generation system can fit into two or three containers. So it can be transported by trucks on land, an aircraft in the sky or a ship at sea," said Cui Huaiming, deputy chief engineer of the China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute.
The China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute was the first in the world to propose the technical route of a uranium-zirconium hydride fuel in a lead-bismuth cooled microreactor.
"The core safety advantage of the micro reactor comes from the overlay of an inherently safe fuel plus an inherently safe reactor type. The uranium-zirconium hydride fuel it uses has a built-in 'brake' function: once the temperature rises, the nuclear reaction automatically weakens or even stops, fundamentally preventing the reaction from running out of control. Because of its high inherent safety, the micro reactor requires no containment facility and no off-site emergency system, compressing the overall construction period to within 30 months," said Sun Chao, deputy director of the Fourth Institute of the China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute.
China's nuclear microreactors move from lab to commercialization, promising portable clean power
As China marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, a roughly 12,500-kilometer military odyssey, German writer Christian Y. Schmidt shared his and fellow author Volker Haering's extraordinary cycling journey retracing the the historic route with local audiences in Germany.
The Long March (1934-1936) was a military maneuver by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army that later became a defining episode in modern Chinese history, symbolizing endurance and perseverance as troops crossed some of the country's harshest terrain to establish a new revolutionary base. Some marched as far as 12,500 kilometers, enduring hunger, thirst and cold.
Schmidt and his friend, fellow writer Haering spent 138 days between 2023 and 2024, cycling nearly 7,000 kilometers along the historic route of the Chinese Red Army, starting from Ruijin County in east China's Jiangxi Province and heading northwest.
Their experiences have been compiled into a book titled "Der lange Fahrrad-Marsch: 7.000 Kilometer durch das Reich der Mitte".
Last week, Schmidt shared extraordinary journey with audiences at the Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf, drawing engagement from local attendees seeking fresh perspectives on Chinese modern history.
"I think we can take away an inspiration from this: As long as you keep moving forward, never give up, and always keep your eyes fixed on your goal, you will surely be able to keep going. And if you encounter difficulties along the way, you just have to find ways to overcome them," said Schmidt.
The presentation prompted reflections on endurance and modern development among the German audience.
"Mao Zedong once said, 'Nothing is impossible in the world if you dare to scale the heights.' I think this is precisely the spirit demonstrated during the Long March. Who could have imagined that after enduring such hardship, victory could still be achieved in the end? I think that is the lesson we can draw from it. In a sense, the memory of the Long March seems deeply etched into the genes of future generations," said Kneppel, an attendee.
"China's development is indeed nothing short of a miracle. China has achieved astonishing leaps in technological development. Driven by the government, China displays tremendous vitality, focus, and purposeful effort. The Chinese government unites people from all over the country to march toward the exact same goal, and I have witnessed this with my own eyes," said Maria, another attendee.
German writer shares 7,000 km Long March cycling journey with audiences
