Nuclear, New & Clear

A small city in east China takes the lead in heating its homes with nuclear energy By Yuan Yuan

The nuclear heating project in Haiyan,Zhejiang Province,begins to warm up some residential houses in the urban area on December 5,2021

The tall chimneys of Haiyang, a small coastal city in Shandong Province, are no longer billowing smoke this winter. The long lines of coal trucks that once jostled and beeped their way through the city’s streets are now just a memory as all of the city’s 12 boiler rooms, which had supplied its residents with heating for decades, have been laid idle.

With a population of around 200,000, the countylevel city was unfamiliar to outsiders until its new heating method made it a national headline. This winter, Haiyang became the first city in China to use nuclear energy to heat its urban area, which covers 4.5 square km.

Before this winter heating season, news had spread that the city would be warmed up by nuclear energy. The local government introduced residents to the operating principles of the nuclear heating system and answered their questions about its safety.

A cold wave hit the region, which prompted the city to turn on the heat on November 9, 2021, earlier than the usual date of November 15. From then on, heated water has been flowing from the local thermal plant into residential houses.

Warmer and cleaner

The switch from coal to nuclear energy has seen room temperatures in Haiyang’s homes increase by three to four degrees Celsius, a noticeable and welcome change felt by local resident Diao Wenping.

“The room temperature has stayed above 26 degrees Celsius this year and we’re able to wear just a T-shirt at home,” Diao said. “In the past, we needed to wear long sleeves.”

Diao used to have concerns about nuclear heating.For many residents in Haiyang, the word “nuclear”was connected with catastrophe. They didn’t expect nuclear energy to come this close to daily life.

There are two nuclear reactors in Haiyang, the first went into operation in October 2018, and the second in January 2019. As of April 2021, the two nuclear reactors had generated around 50 billion kW of energy,with the figure to surpass 130 billion by 2025.

Since the two plants began operating, experts have been exploring ways to commercialize the nuclear energy they produce. Wu Fang, Chairman of Shandong Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., in charge of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant, explained how the heating process works.

“First, the nonradioactive steam is extracted from the two reactors at the nuclear power plant and is then channeled to a thermal power supply company, from where heated water flows through municipal heating pipes to consumers,” Wu said. “Throughout the whole process, there is only heat transfer and no exchange of materials such as water.”

Prior to the city-wide rollout of nuclear heating, authorities conducted small-scale trials, including one in 2019, which heated 700,000 square meters of housing,including the dormitory of one of the plant. The local government invested in the construction of supporting pipe networks, heat exchange stations and other necessary facilities.

It is China’s first commercial nuclear heating project. Xue Jianlei, a 37-year-old resident who lives one km from a coal-fired heating plant, said the most obvious change brought by the new heating is the obvious improvement to the environment. “During previous winters, we always found soot on clothes we’d hang out on the balcony,” Xue said. “We don’t have those kinds of problems anymore and the air is clearer.”

The heating bill for households has also dropped from 22 yuan ($3.45) per square meter to 21($3.29). This goes against the trend as heating bills have increased in many other places due to the coal shortage this year.

Han Hongcheng, a board member of the local Fengyuan Thermal Power Co. Ltd., attributed the lower price to several factors. “In the past, the desulfuration facilities that go with the coal-powered plants consumed about 6,000 kW of electricity during the heating season. Now, as we don’t need those facilities anymore, this figure has dropped to 600,” he said.“We don’t need furnace operators and don’t need to pay for coal transportation.”

According to Han, it is estimated that this year the nuclear-powered heating can save 100,000 tons of raw coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 180,000 tons, equivalent to planting 1,000 hectares of broadleaved forest.

Wider use

Nuclear heating is not only adopted in Haiyang this winter. In Haiyan, another county-level city in Zhejiang Province, a total of 464,000 square meters of residential housing is also enjoying winter heating thanks to the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station, built in a suburb of the county.

When the project is fully operational, it is expected to support heating for more than 4 million square meters of residential area in Haiyan, saving 196 million kWh of electricity or 24,600 tons of standard coal equivalent a year.

At the same time, authorities in Heilongjiang Province in the northeast are undergoing an approval process to establish a nuclear heat plant, which will be China’s first inland reactor not to be associated with electricity generation.

Clean-energy heating has been a priority in China for years, with central authorities beginning in 2017 to issue guidance on clean heating in winter in north China. The National Energy Administration released a five-year plan, covering 2017-21, highlighting the innovation of clean heating technology and considerations for nuclear heating.

In Shandong, Haiyang’s neighboring cities, including Qingdao, have been working on plans to expand the nuclear heating area. A notice released by the Shandong Provincial Government in September 2021 included Qingdao in the future nuclear heating system.

“China’s winter heating area has increased at an average annual growth rate of about 10 percent,” said Chen Renzong, an expert on nuclear heating. “Heating demand is growing rapidly, but conventional heating fuels are dwindling, so we need to develop more methods that use clean energy; nuclear heating, with zero carbon emissions, has great potential.” BR