China has officially kicked off the construction of a floating nuclear plant under China's leading nuclear company, China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN).

According to the deputy chief engineer of CGN institute, Rui Min, the ACPR50S reactor is a diverse energy system that requires state of the art nuclear security. It has a small reactor and will require a floating platform.

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The concept is ready and the design is set. The preliminary work is expected to be completed soon. The whole project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

The floating nuclear plant will be developed ideally for the supply of heat, electricity, and desalination. It can be used in coastal regions and islands as well as offshore for gas and oil research.

The 200 MWt (60 MWe) reactor comes as a key essential to the country's marine strategies. The offshore nuclear power plant has been welcomed well by those in the nuclear industry. 

In a statement, officials in the nuclear industry said, "The construction in a shipyard should bring efficiencies, sitting is simplified, the impact is extremely low and decommissioning can take place at a specialized facility."

They further added that in offshore environment, factors such as access to laborers and equipment need to be put into consideration. Radio active materials are also another factor.

CGN is also working on the ACPR100  small reactor for use on land. With an output of 450 MWt (140 MWe), it is highly recommended for power supply in large-scale industrial parks.

The floating nuclear reactors are a concept that was established in USA in 1970's. Russia will, however, be the first to launch the technology next year.

Tagschina, nuclear energy, CGN, Floating Nuclear Power Plant