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| China is building floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea to support commercial and military activities. This move strengthens its regional dominance and poses challenges for the U.S. and other nations with territorial claims. The reactors provide significant strategic and military advantages for China in this contested area.Illustration of China's floating reactor nuclear : Photo by Asia Times.
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INFOPINTAR - After a decade of research and development, China has begun building a fleet of floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea. This project aims to support commercial development and oil exploration in the region. Additionally, China is leveraging these reactors to enhance its military capabilities potentially giving it an edge over U.S. forces in the area.
In 2016, China National Nuclear Safety Administration stated that artificial islands supported by floating nuclear platforms would be comparable to nuclear-powered aircraft carriers equipped with fighter jets and missile systems. They claimed that their military superiority would be far greater than the long-range aircraft carrier fleet of the United States."
Although this statement may seem exaggerated defense experts agree that China nuclear advancements are significant. "Having an endless power source on small artificial islands provides a substantial military advantage for China,"
Said Robert Bunker, Ph.D. from the strategic consultancy C/O futures.
Floating reactors on artificial islands could pose challenges for the U.S. if a conflict arises. The South China Sea is a contested area with claims from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philoppines, Taiwam and Indonesia. China claims around 90℅ of the sea and continues to uphold this claim.
In recent years, China has bolstered its military presence to support its claims. They began constructing artificial islands in 2014 using a fleet of giant dredgers that transported sand from the sea floor to expand existing islands and create new ones.
Initially, China claimed these new lands were for civilian purposes but they later transformed them into military bases equipped with radar and missiles by 2022 several islands had airstrips, hangars, fuel storage and other infrastructure for military aircraft operations.
China uses these island to support increasingly aggressive to support increasingly aggressive actions against other nations. Chinese aircraft sometimes fly very close to U.S., Australian and other countries' military flights. At sea, they disrupt Filipino fishing vessels with water cannons, lasers and dangerous maneuvers that occasionally result in collisions.
Simultaneously, China has been developing floating nuclear reactors to provide abundant electricity to remote locations that cannot connect to the power grid. They have created two prototypes the 60-megawatt ACPR50S and the 125-megawatt ACP100S.
Each reactor is situated on a large barge and can be towed wherever needed. These are pressurized water reactors with passive cooling systems a modern design that unlike earlier reactors will not suffer severe damage if cooling fails.
The reactors were initially intended to support oil exploration in the disputed South China Sea. In 2016, it was announced that these reactors would power 20 proposed military bases on the islands. These bases aim to help China establish dominance in the region.
Floating reactors could also support future weapons like high-energy lasers or microwaves which may become crucial in the coming decade.