China’s plans to build floating nuclear reactors capable of powering military installations in the disputed South China Sea could potentially undermine regional security and stability, top US military command in the Pacific and State Department representatives cautioned.
Despite over a decade of research and development and safety concerns from Chinese regulators, US officials believe China is poised to proceed with the plans, with no established international standards for the safe operation of floating reactors.
While any deployment is still several years away, Adm. John Aquilino, the now former commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, issued a cautionary warning, The Washington Post reported.
“China’s intended use of floating nuclear power plants has potential impacts to all nations in the region,” said Aquilino, who relinquished his command on Friday. “Chinese state media has stated publicly Beijing’s intent to use them to strengthen its military control of the South China Sea, further exerting their unlawful territorial claims. China’s claim of sovereignty of the entire South China Sea has no basis in international law and is destabilizing the entire region.”
The State Department echoed Aquillino’s concerns, with a senior official claiming that “the closer they get to deploying floating nuclear power plants, the faster they’ll use them for purposes contrary to the national security of the United States and broader security in the region.”
Environmental and geopolitical concerns
China’s recent record of significant emissions from land-based nuclear power plants casts a shadow over its plan to deploy barge-mounted plants in delicate marine ecosystems, the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum writes.
China’s actions in the South China Sea have also increased tensions with neighboring countries like Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. They’ve been militarizing previously uninhabited reefs, damaging the environment.
Chinese scientists have also expressed worry about the floating nuclear power plants. According to a report from February 2023 by researchers at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and the Beijing Institute of Technology, there’s a call for “a robust international regulatory framework” to tackle the environmental issues posed by these plants, the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum adds.
Floating nuclear power for island radar upgrades
The concept of floating nuclear power plants emerged from Beijing’s need to enhance radar and signal interception capabilities on China-controlled islands, where power consumption poses a critical challenge.
Power is essential for military installations and personnel quarters on these islands. However, the idea, which emerged in late 2016, primarily aimed at finding alternative power sources. Two nuclear power reactor prototypes, each with a capacity of 60 megawatts and weighing 30,000 tonnes, are already prepared for deployment and are currently undergoing trial phases in the Bohai Sea, Modern Diplomacy reported.
However, using floating nuclear reactors to support living on distant islands and oil rigs, a project pursued by China’s national nuclear corporation, has its challenges. About ten years ago, Russia also tried to sell similar floating nuclear power plants made from old submarine parts to countries like Nigeria and some African nations. However, Russia couldn’t deliver these plants because of slow development. They managed to finish their first floating nuclear power plant in 2018, but it ended up costing much more than planned, Modern Diplomacy noted.
