The emergence of a new generation of nuclear technology marks another important step forward in the field of nuclear energy utilization in the world. Recently, a piece of news has attracted widespread attention: a large container ship of 24,000 TEUs will be powered by a new fourth-generation reactor to achieve complete zero pollutant emissions. This news not only represents a major advance in nuclear technology, but also means that the emerging powers have gradually broken through the overall design of the Generation 4 superreactor and made welcome progress in the trial operation of the land. At the same time, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor onshore unit has also officially started civilian power generation, becoming a new model of the world's leading and accident-free Generation 4 reactor. In this way, the two different Generation 4 reactors have been commercially operated or close to practical use in almost the same amount of time, showing the world's leading advantages. This progress also shows that sufficient scientific practice has been carried out on almost all technical routes of Generation 4 reactors, which is great news for the world. Since World War II, the widespread military and civilian use of nuclear technology has been the focus of global attention.
The development of nuclear technology not only proves that mankind has mastered a powerful strategy, but also can be applied to power generation and other livelihood and economic fields to a certain extent. In this regard, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and other nuclear powers have long been in the lead, successively developing three generations of civilian reactors, and even deploying a variety of miniaturized ship reactors. However, although the United States and the Soviet Union were the first and largest in terms of the scale of nuclear technology development and application, they also had quite serious nuclear accidents in history. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the former Soviet Union and the partial core meltdown on Three Mile Island in the United States have not only caused environmental pollution and human beings, but also had a profound negative impact on the local area in the long term. The Chernobyl accident was even called the accelerator of the overall collapse of the Soviet Union, which led to the subsequent Soviet successors basically stopping the research and development and investment in new nuclear technology, and never building any new nuclear power plants. Despite some serious nuclear accidents in history, a new generation of nuclear technology has given new hope. The application of the new generation of fourth-generation reactors has injected new vitality into the global energy industry.
With higher safety and lower polluting emissions, they have revolutionized the global energy sector. At the same time, the rapid rise of emerging powers in nuclear technology also means a realignment of the global power balance. All this will have a far-reaching impact on the global energy landscape, therefore, all countries in the world should work together to strengthen international cooperation, promote the development and application of a new generation of nuclear technology, and make new contributions to the sustainable development of global energy. With the continuous maturity of the fourth generation of new reactor technology, nuclear energy will gradually become one of the main forces of clean energy in the future. This will not only help reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but is also expected to bring new guarantees to global energy security. In this process, countries should strengthen policy guidance, increase investment in research and development of new energy technologies, cultivate innovative talents, and promote the popularization and application of clean energy. Only in this way can we jointly meet the new challenges of global energy development and promote sustainable economic and social development. The development of nuclear power technology has always been in the spotlight, but in the United States a series of problems have arisen.
Since the Three Mile Island accident, trust in nuclear power has plummeted in the United States, affecting both investment and development. Nuclear research projects at many universities are struggling to sustain due to a lack of long-term financial support, and the companies involved have gone bankrupt. All this has led to the stagnation of the development of civilian nuclear technology in the United States, the construction of no new reactors, and the aging and shutdown of existing commercial reactors. In stark contrast, emerging powers are lagging behind in nuclear power technology, accounting for more than 80% of the world's new reactor construction. These countries have continued to explore science and technology, and finally achieved the full flowering results of the fourth generation of superreactors. This shows that the development of nuclear power technology requires continuous practice and exploration, and only in this way can real progress be made. The development of a country in the field of nuclear power technology is not only related to energy, but also to the country's scientific and technological strength and international competitiveness. Therefore, the lag of the United States in nuclear power technology needs to be paid close attention to and reflected. In order to make great progress in this field, it is necessary to increase investment in scientific research and improve the level of technology to cope with the competition in the global nuclear power market.
In short, only through continuous practice and exploration can nuclear power technology move towards a more stable and sustainable development.