Nuclear Energy Starts Heating Houses and in 2021 Will Heat a City and Avoid Using Over 6 Million Tons of Coal

In many regards, this plausibly the highest and best use of nuclear energy.  Households in particular need a steady low grade of heat available to support the living environment.  Hot water heating is well established and preferred as well.

The heat is easily transported as live steam and then distributed safely as pumped hot water from a boiler that converts the steam.

 

This seems to be an actively managed energy resource and that is welcome. Nuclear power is a natural heat engine after all.

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Nuclear Energy Starts Heating Houses and in 2021 Will Heat a City and Avoid Using Over 6 Million Tons of Coal

Brian Wang | November 24, 2019

China’s first commercial nuclear heating project has begun operating at the Haiyang nuclear power plant in Shandong province. Two AP1000 nuclear units will initially provide heating to 700,000 square meters of housing.

This use of nuclear energy heating will avoid the use of 23,200 tonnes of coal annually, cutting emissions of soot by 222 tonnes, of sulfur dioxide by 382 tonnes, of nitrogen oxide by 362 tonnes and of carbon dioxide by 60,000 tonnes.

The Haiyang Nuclear Energy Heating Project is expected to provide heating to the entire Haiyang city by 2021. According to SDNPC, with slight modifications, Haiyang units 1 and 2 could have the capacity to provide heating to 30 million square meters. With the completion and commissioning of subsequent units at Haiyang, the plant could eventually provide heating to more than 200 million square meters of housing within a 100-kilometer radius, avoiding the use of about 6.62 million tonnes of coal. Up to six CAP1000 units are planned for the Haiyang plant.

Unit 1 of the Haiyang plant entered commercial operation in October 2018, with unit 2 following in January. Together, Haiyang units 1 and 2 will provide some 20 TWh of electricity to the grid annually, sufficient to meet one-third of household demand in Shandong province.

Last month, SDNPC signed a contract for a large-scale desalination demonstration project at Haiyang to provide water for residents and industries in the area.