China to pioneer ‘pebble bed’ N-reactor:
If successfully commercialised, the pebble bed reactor would be the first radically new reactor design for several decades. It would push China to the forefront of development of a technology that researchers claim offers a new “meltdown-proof” alternative to standard water-cooled nuclear power stations.
While the development of newer, more efficient technology is certainly laudable, ownership of the reactor is a mixed bag. On the one hand Huaneng is privately owned and operated (traded on NYSE) whereas China Nuclear Engineering and Construction (CNEC) is one of many large State-run companies still operating in China. Hopefully it will not turn into another scandal-laden Three Gorges Dam.
Via Slashdot.
