Page 208 - 2018 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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8 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
(Press Trust, China May), much less expensive, creates less supply, but China is also the world’s leading consumer
toxic waste than large-scale rectors, and can be built in of most mining products, particularly for commodities
a single factory. The mini-nuclear reactors are about the like 49 percent of the global total of thermal coal and 58
size of a school bus and can be hauled by a truck. The percent of the iron ore. The mining industry in China is
developers predict SMRs could eventually cost less than a fragmented industry. Many companies operate in the
a tenth the price of conventional reactors. “Small-scale same area. The largest are state-owned firms that extract
reactors are a new trend in the international development and process resources on a provincial or regional scale.
of nuclear power - they are safer and they can be used Most of the companies are also involved in various other
more flexibly,” said Chen Hua, Vice President of the China business activities related to their mining operations.
Nuclear New Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of China Although mining is an important industry for China, the
National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Beijing is racing government wants to close a chunk of it. China is shutting
Russia, Argentina and the United States to commercialize down more than 1,000 coalmines, with a total production
SMRs, which include passive cooling features to improve of 60 million tons in Guizhou, Yunnan, Heilongjiang and
safety. SMRs have capacity of less than 300 megawatts— Jiangxi Provinces, as parts of efforts to trim production
enough to power around 200,000 homes—compared capacity. In 2015, China reached its target by controlling
to at least a gigawatt for standard reactors. U.S. firms the total number of coalmines to 10,000, and will continue
including Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox have been its efforts to reduce outdated capacity. The objectives of
developing their own SMRs, along with smaller start-ups the strategy is to develop western regions, protecting the
like the Bill Gates-backed Terrapower. Others are also environment, and improving energy efficiency. Besides
pursuing the technology, with around 50 different SMR closing mines, China plans to stop approving new
designs worldwide (Stanway). coalmines until at least 2020. The country produced 3.75
billion tons coal in 2015 and has an estimated capacity
China also has plans to develop floating nuclear surplus of 2 billion tons per year. In various subsectors
power plants in the South China Sea so it can beef up related to mining, foreign investments is encouraged,
electricity supply to the islands in the disputed maritime while in others it is restricted or even prohibited. Foreign
region. According to Wang Yiren, Vice Director of the investment is encouraged for prospecting, exploitation,
State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry utilization and/or beneficiation of coal-bed gas and iron
for National Defense, China plans to prioritize the ores and manganese ores. The nation also encourages
development of a floating nuclear power platform in the foreign investment in the development and application
coming five years in an effort to provide stable power to of new technologies for improving the utilization of
offshore projects and promote ocean gas exploitation. tailings and the comprehensive utilization of recovery
Wang told Science and Technology Daily that Chinese technology of the mine ecology. Prospecting and
authorities have already carried out research on relevant exploitation of unconventional natural gas resources
core technologies and the standardization of maritime such as shale gas and submarine natural gas hydrate
nuclear power plants. The development of the facility are other subsectors in which China encourages foreign
is a crucial part of the country’s five-year economic investments (Holland).
development plan, running through 2020. China is
expected to build 20 floating nuclear power stations in China’s official news agency Xinhua reported in 2017
the future. Sun Qin, Former Chairman of the National that the country is set to increase annual gold output to
Nuclear Corporation, said in March 2016 China would 500 tons by the end of the decade from around 450 tons
have the operation operational by 2019. “Floating power currently. China overtook South Africa as the number one
stations are less susceptible to natural disasters. In an miner of the metal in 2007. China’s Ministry of Industry
emergency, the station could pump seawater into a boat and Information Technology expects gold output to
to prevent core melting. Besides, the platform is small increase by an average 3 percent annually through 2020,
and can be dragged to a suitable place for maintenance” but 2015 output rose less than 1 percent to 453.5 tons.
(Press Trust, China Plans). The ministry claims it wants to consolidate and upgrade
the industry by reducing the number of gold miners to
Mining around 450 from more than 600, and shutting down 40
tons of outdated production capacity by the end of 2020.
In total there are more than 10,000 (mostly coal) Global gold demand increased 2 percent to 4,309 tons in
mines in China, producing a large amount of the world’s 2016, the highest since 2013, but according to the World
208
(Press Trust, China May), much less expensive, creates less supply, but China is also the world’s leading consumer
toxic waste than large-scale rectors, and can be built in of most mining products, particularly for commodities
a single factory. The mini-nuclear reactors are about the like 49 percent of the global total of thermal coal and 58
size of a school bus and can be hauled by a truck. The percent of the iron ore. The mining industry in China is
developers predict SMRs could eventually cost less than a fragmented industry. Many companies operate in the
a tenth the price of conventional reactors. “Small-scale same area. The largest are state-owned firms that extract
reactors are a new trend in the international development and process resources on a provincial or regional scale.
of nuclear power - they are safer and they can be used Most of the companies are also involved in various other
more flexibly,” said Chen Hua, Vice President of the China business activities related to their mining operations.
Nuclear New Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of China Although mining is an important industry for China, the
National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Beijing is racing government wants to close a chunk of it. China is shutting
Russia, Argentina and the United States to commercialize down more than 1,000 coalmines, with a total production
SMRs, which include passive cooling features to improve of 60 million tons in Guizhou, Yunnan, Heilongjiang and
safety. SMRs have capacity of less than 300 megawatts— Jiangxi Provinces, as parts of efforts to trim production
enough to power around 200,000 homes—compared capacity. In 2015, China reached its target by controlling
to at least a gigawatt for standard reactors. U.S. firms the total number of coalmines to 10,000, and will continue
including Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox have been its efforts to reduce outdated capacity. The objectives of
developing their own SMRs, along with smaller start-ups the strategy is to develop western regions, protecting the
like the Bill Gates-backed Terrapower. Others are also environment, and improving energy efficiency. Besides
pursuing the technology, with around 50 different SMR closing mines, China plans to stop approving new
designs worldwide (Stanway). coalmines until at least 2020. The country produced 3.75
billion tons coal in 2015 and has an estimated capacity
China also has plans to develop floating nuclear surplus of 2 billion tons per year. In various subsectors
power plants in the South China Sea so it can beef up related to mining, foreign investments is encouraged,
electricity supply to the islands in the disputed maritime while in others it is restricted or even prohibited. Foreign
region. According to Wang Yiren, Vice Director of the investment is encouraged for prospecting, exploitation,
State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry utilization and/or beneficiation of coal-bed gas and iron
for National Defense, China plans to prioritize the ores and manganese ores. The nation also encourages
development of a floating nuclear power platform in the foreign investment in the development and application
coming five years in an effort to provide stable power to of new technologies for improving the utilization of
offshore projects and promote ocean gas exploitation. tailings and the comprehensive utilization of recovery
Wang told Science and Technology Daily that Chinese technology of the mine ecology. Prospecting and
authorities have already carried out research on relevant exploitation of unconventional natural gas resources
core technologies and the standardization of maritime such as shale gas and submarine natural gas hydrate
nuclear power plants. The development of the facility are other subsectors in which China encourages foreign
is a crucial part of the country’s five-year economic investments (Holland).
development plan, running through 2020. China is
expected to build 20 floating nuclear power stations in China’s official news agency Xinhua reported in 2017
the future. Sun Qin, Former Chairman of the National that the country is set to increase annual gold output to
Nuclear Corporation, said in March 2016 China would 500 tons by the end of the decade from around 450 tons
have the operation operational by 2019. “Floating power currently. China overtook South Africa as the number one
stations are less susceptible to natural disasters. In an miner of the metal in 2007. China’s Ministry of Industry
emergency, the station could pump seawater into a boat and Information Technology expects gold output to
to prevent core melting. Besides, the platform is small increase by an average 3 percent annually through 2020,
and can be dragged to a suitable place for maintenance” but 2015 output rose less than 1 percent to 453.5 tons.
(Press Trust, China Plans). The ministry claims it wants to consolidate and upgrade
the industry by reducing the number of gold miners to
Mining around 450 from more than 600, and shutting down 40
tons of outdated production capacity by the end of 2020.
In total there are more than 10,000 (mostly coal) Global gold demand increased 2 percent to 4,309 tons in
mines in China, producing a large amount of the world’s 2016, the highest since 2013, but according to the World
208
