China is building giant nuclear facility to master clean energy
What's the story
Satellite images have shown that China is building a huge nuclear fusion facility close to the southwestern city of Mianyang.
The structure, which looks like a gigantic X-shaped building, is emerging from the rocky landscape in southwestern China.
The development could mean that the country is making major progress in its quest to harness this futuristic energy source.
Dual purpose
Potential implications for nuclear weapons development
The building of this facility could also mean an escalation in China's nuclear arms race.
Decker Eveleth, an analyst at US-based research organization the CNA Corporation, has been monitoring this facility for years.
In 2020, a US official released images indicating several possible Chinese nuclear sites, including the site near Mianyang in Sichuan province.
Project acceleration
Rapid construction post-COVID-19 shutdowns
Eveleth described the site as essentially "a patch of dirt" during its initial stages. However, construction rapidly progressed once COVID-19 shutdowns were lifted.
The project is referred to as a "laser fusion" facility in contract documents obtained by Eveleth and reviewed by CNN.
If confirmed to be a laser facility, it would provide a unique platform for studying materials under extreme conditions.
Research potential
Unique capabilities and potential
The facility would allow scientists to create "pressures that are typically found in the center of stars or in nuclear weapons," Brian Appelbe, a research fellow from the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London, told the outlet.
The four giant arms seen in the satellite image are thought by Eveleth to be "bays" that can fire lasers at a tall central tower, containing a target chamber with hydrogen isotopes.
Fusion progress
Role in advancing nuclear fusion research
The facility's laser energy is expected to fuse hydrogen isotopes together, creating a burst of energy in a process called ignition.
This way, we can have an abundant, clean energy source without the long-lived radioactive waste problem of nuclear fission, our current nuclear energy tech.
Melanie Windridge, CEO of Fusion Energy Insights, said this new facility shows China's seriousness about fusion and its decisive actions toward it.
Size significance
China's facility could be world's largest of its kind
Eveleth estimates China's Mianyang research center will be about 50% bigger than the US's National Ignition Facility (NIF) and, when completed, probably the largest facility of its kind in the world.
A bigger laser means higher pressures and more material can be compressed, possibly boosting the energy obtained from nuclear fusion experiments.
However, Appelbe warned that a successful fusion experiment is "extremely challenging" even with a very large laser.
Research implications
Facility's potential role in nuclear weapons research
The facility could also allow China to research nuclear weapons.
Laser-ignition fusion facilities can assist in simulating the energy released by nuclear weapons, something that is difficult to replicate with computers and other conventional means.
"Any country with an NIF-type facility can and probably will be increasing their confidence and improving existing weapons designs," said William Alberque, a nuclear policy analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Centre.