China pioneers nuclear power plant to decarbonize petrochemicals

China broke ground on a new nuclear heating and power plant in Xuwei, Jiangsu Province, on Friday. Construction of the first unit has begun on the nuclear island, marked by the first concrete pour.

Developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), this is the world's first project to use nuclear energy to supply low-carbon steam to the petrochemical industry. It is expected to drastically reduce fossil fuel consumption and provide an innovative solution for a green transformation in high-carbon industries.

This project represents the first time a pressurized water reactor has been coupled with a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor for steam heating. It integrates Hualong One, China's third-generation nuclear power technology, with advanced fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology.

The system is designed to use the main steam from the Hualong One pressurized water reactor to heat desalinated water, producing large quantities of saturated steam. This saturated steam is then superheated by main steam from the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, resulting in the production of high-quality industrial steam.

After processing, the majority of this industrial steam will be sent to the nearby petrochemical industrial base in Lianyungang. The project will also generate electricity.

The Lianyungang base is one of the country's major petrochemical hubs. To ensure its normal operation, it requires a large supply of industrial steam in addition to petrochemical raw materials.

In the petrochemical industry, steam is primarily used for process heating and reaction driving. Most petrochemical reactions, such as crude oil distillation, catalytic cracking, hydrotreating and esterification, require high-temperature conditions. Steam provides stable heat for the entire reaction system, ensuring efficient and controllable operations.

Steam also serves as a heat source in the fine separation of petrochemical products, allowing them to reach boiling points for gas-liquid separation or to remove impurities such as water, thereby improving purity.

Furthermore, steam plays a vital role in powering equipment like steam turbines, insulating and protecting pipelines from freezing, and cleaning plant equipment.

Currently, the Lianyungang industrial base requires up to 13,000 tonnes of steam per hour. Meeting this massive daily demand has historically relied on fossil fuels like coal, creating an environmental challenge as China intensifies its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

The new project promises to drastically cut these emissions. According to industry data, the carbon footprint of nuclear-powered steam is only 1/600th that of coal-fired cogeneration steam, and 1 percent that of natural gas cogeneration steam.

CNNC stated that the first phase of the project plans to construct two Hualong One units and one high-temperature gas-cooled reactor unit. Once operational, this phase will supply 32.5 million tonnes of industrial steam annually, with a maximum power generation exceeding 11.5 billion kWh. It is expected to reduce standard coal consumption by 7.26 million tonnes and cut CO2 emissions by 19.6 million tonnes per year.