(CFP Photo)

Tianwan nuclear power plant in East China's Jiangsu Province has kicked off the construction of a project designed to supply steam to Lianyungang petrochemical industrial base, the first-of-its-kind project in China.

Hu Haibo, deputy head of the power plant’s infrastructure section, said on June 6 that the steam provides a new way to not only meet the industrial needs but also reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution.

Xie Jianghong, head of the Jiangsu Nuclear Power Expert Advisory Team, said the petrochemical industry and the iron and steel industry are both high energy-consuming industries that have long relied mainly on natural gas, coal and other fossil fuels.

Considering the supply and prices of fossil fuels in the global market as well as China’s goals to peak carbon emission and achieve carbon neutrality, steam generated by the power plant unit can be a stable and efficient alternative in driving the eco-friendly transformation of energy-intensive industries, according to Xie.

Xie also said the new project will supply the base with 4.8 million tonnes of industrial steam a year, equivalent to reducing coal consumption by 400,000 tonnes. This means cutting carbon dioxide emission by 1.07 million tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 184 tonnes and oxynitride by 263 tonnes. Meanwhile, the petrochemical industrial base can save the carbon emissions by 700,000 tonnes a year through this initiative.

Hao Min, project manager of Jiangsu Fangyang Energy Technology Co Ltd, said steam is necessary for operations at the industrial base, such as refining and pipeline heating, so the project will help Lianyungang Xuwei New Area become the first in the domestic petrochemical industry to make use of steam from nuclear power plant.

In addition to the use of electricity and heat generated by nuclear power plant, Zhang Zhen, an expert of nuclear power station, said another important field in making full use of nuclear power is seawater desalination.