Energy supply status and prospects of gas turbine HTGR plant in China

This paper describes the current status of China's energy supply, analyzes constitution of consumed energy resources, gives brief forecasts of energy demands in the following decades and presents possible solutions. The strong growth of China's economy needs more and more energy consumption, and brings a series of challenges to China: sustainable energy supply, transportation capacity, energy security, environmental pollutions, etc. Nuclear energy may be one of solutions. Chinese government approved an ambitious plans of total capacity at least 36 GWe nuclear power by 2020. Compared with conventional Rankine cycle Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the NPP of the modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) coupling with gas turbine cycle will have higher thermal efficiency, fewer components, thus, less capital costs and higher reliability. The techniques of modular HTGR have been investigated by Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) of Tsinghua University for many years while a 10MW testing reactor plant, HTR-10, was constructed. After the successful operation of HTR-10, a direct gas turbine cycle project, HTR-10GT was set up. The techniques and experience on construction / operation on HTR-10GT will reveal a prospective application of gas turbine HTGR in China. (authors)