Analysis of Coordinated Development Between SMR and Papermaking Industry in China

Abstract The world’s first onshore commercial SMR, the Linglong-1 ACP100 in China began construction in July 2021. The ACP100 SMR has the characteristics of high safety, modularity and multi-purpose. SMR can provide steam for the industrial department. The papermaking industry in China is a typical energy-consuming industry, which mainly relies on traditional fossil energy for steam and power supply. China is a major producer and consumer of paper. In the context of global warming, the industry is facing important issues in optimizing the energy structure. The paper industry usually has its own small coal power plants and boiler houses to provide the steam and electricity required by the factory. SMR can be deployed to the user, which can effectively replace the papermaking factory’s own coal-fired power plant and coal-fired boiler. From the perspectives of technical characteristics, technology maturity, decarbonization demand, and coal-fired power plant substitution, the coordinated development of China’s paper industry and ACP100 SMR is a typical case of nuclear energy helping industrial decarbonization. In this paper, the parameter characteristics and capabilities of ACP100 SMR in the field of industrial steam supply were analyzed. The development status, distribution characteristics and steam parameters of China’s papermaking industry are introduced. The coupling development opportunities between ACP100 and the paper industry were studied. The suggestion for SMR in the decarbonization transformation of papermaking industry is given.