China plans floating nuclear plants to power sea projects

China is planning to build up to 20 floating nuclear power stations which could be used to power projects at sea, including construction work and defensive facilities on controversial artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said it had not heard of plans for maritime nuclear-power platforms, but the head of state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), told the Global Times China was close to completing its first floating facility, which could sail to remote areas and power offshore projects.

“The development of nuclear power platforms is a burgeoning trend,” Mr Liu told the popular tabloid. He said the exact number of plants to be built depended on market demand but described interest as “pretty strong”.

Beijing has maritime claims over almost all of the South China Sea, but nearly all of its neighbours in the region, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

China is building airstrips and deploying missiles on man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago and that has increased tensions with Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan, all of which claim sovereignty. Some $5 trillion (€4.43 trillion) worth of shipping passes through the region annually and Beijing stands accused of trying to militarise the area, although it insists it is constructing civilian facilities, such as lighthouses. Missiles have been photographed on the islands.

A local shipbuilding website reported this week that a unit of the CSIC would build about 20 of the platforms “in the future” and said the company had received approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top state development body.

In the last two years, China has reclaimed land at three locations in the Spratly Islands – the Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs, and it has built 3,000 metre-long airstrips that can handle bombers.

Military tensions

Despite China’s insistence it is not trying to step up military tensions in the region, the US has been sending Navy warships and flying aircraft over disputed territories to register its disapproval of China’s activities.

The Global Times cited Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, saying the platforms could provide reliable power for lighthouses, desalination, rescue and relief equipment, defensive weapons and airports and harbours on the islands.

“Normally we have to burn oil or coal for power. Given the long distance between the Nansha Islands and the Chinese mainland, and the changing weather and oceanic conditions, transporting fuel could be an issue, which is why developing the maritime nuclear power platform is of great significance,” Mr Li said.

A demonstration platform is expected to be completed by 2018 and put into service by the following year.