Chapter 1672: A Great Project to Change the World

A week later, in the capital.

Xijing Hotel.

Academician Lei Wencheng, chief engineer of the Nuclear Industry Construction Group, had just finished participating in a group discussion at the Nuclear Industry Policy Conference. He was walking in the corridor with several colleagues, whispering about the spent fuel treatment technology route mentioned in the meeting.

At this time, a staff member with an identity card with the national emblem came quickly to his side.

Lei Wencheng was stunned for a moment and then realized that the other party must have something to say only to him.

So he deliberately moved a few steps away from the crowd.

Sure enough, the other party immediately whispered, "Academician Lei, the commander asks you to go to Office No. 6."

Lei Wencheng's expression turned serious: "Now?"

Although he knew early on that high-level leaders would appear at this conference, he did not expect such a thing to happen.

The other party nodded: "Yes."

Lei Wencheng had no choice but to turn aside and apologize to his colleagues nearby: "Sorry, I have something urgent to attend to. I have to excuse myself for a moment."

Then he followed the staff member and walked quickly towards the dedicated elevator deep in the corridor.

"Hmm...don't you need me to make some preparations in advance?"

Seeing the other party directly press the target floor, Lei Wencheng asked half-confusedly and half-nervously.

"The chief said it was just an informal conversation and there was no need for special preparation in advance."

Now that things have come to this, no matter how unsure you are, you have no choice but to go ahead with it.

The two of them quickly arrived at the office door.

Lei Wencheng took a deep breath, prepared himself mentally, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

However, at this moment, the door of the conference room was opened.

"Eh?"

The sound of the door hinge turning and the sudden bright light in front of him made Lei Wencheng freeze in his tracks for a moment.

And the person who came out was even an acquaintance of his.

Academician Peng Juexian, a senior expert of the Nuclear Industry Group.

Obviously, Lei Wencheng was not the only one who received an invitation today.

He realized almost instantly that the leader might want to use this nuclear industry policy conference as an opportunity to conduct a systematic consultation with experts in the field of nuclear engineering.

And this can basically be confirmed as a sign of some "big moves".

Peng Juexian obviously didn't expect to meet him here, and was stunned for a moment.

But then he just nodded and prepared to close the door and leave. It was obvious that he had no intention of chatting in such a place.

At this time, a voice was heard from the room: "Is it Academician Lei outside? Come in directly!"

Lei Wencheng pushed the door open and walked in.

A burly old man was sitting on the sofa by the window, with a cup of tea and a thick folder on the coffee table in front of him.

Although he was dressed simply, he naturally exuded the calm demeanor of someone who had been in a high position for a long time.

Considering the other party's level, the office is not very big and the furnishings are quite simple.

"Comrade Wencheng is here, please sit down." The old man said calmly, pointing to the sofa opposite.

"Hello, Chief." Lei Wencheng responded and sat down as he was told, with his back straight.

The old man picked up the teacup, took a sip, and asked casually:

"How was this industrial policy conference? I saw that the group discussions were quite lively."

Lei Wencheng calmed himself down and briefly reported on the main topics of the conference and the focus of debate on several technical routes, focusing on the engineering progress and challenges of the fourth-generation nuclear fission reactors, as well as the technical bottlenecks and resource requirements of spent fuel reprocessing.

He was very clear that this first question was just to get to the point and was by no means the core of the conversation, but the report was still well-organized and focused.

The old man listened very carefully, nodded occasionally, but did not ask in depth about the technical details.

After finishing the report, he put down his teacup and his eyes fell on the folder on the coffee table.

"Well, nuclear engineering and nuclear technology are the cornerstones of our national security, and steady progress is the right thing to do," the old man said slowly. Then he changed the subject and gently pushed the folder in front of Lei Wencheng. "However, I called you here today to ask you to take a look at this and share your thoughts."

Lei Wencheng quickly reached out and prepared to pick up the folder.

But when I picked it up, it suddenly sank, and the weight was far beyond my expectations.

He was even more confused. What kind of material was so thick?

He cautiously opened the hard cover.

The title that caught his eye exploded in his unprepared mind:

Current Status of Fusion Technology Development and Suggestions on Preparing for the Construction of a Nuclear Fusion Power Demonstration Reactor

fusion?!

Demonstration pile?!

Lei Wencheng's heart suddenly shrank and almost stopped beating, and the fingers holding the folder also twitched violently.

At the beginning of the year, the Academy of Sciences also made it clear that it would focus on the second phase upgrade of the EAST device, with the goal of achieving longer-term H-mode operation.

How come it’s only been five months and they’ve already jumped straight to building a demonstration reactor?

He suppressed the question that was about to come out of his mouth and subconsciously looked up at the old man.

The old man seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly: "The document is a bit long and the content is quite detailed. Please sit down and read it slowly."

Lei Wencheng took a deep breath, took out his reading glasses and put them on, forced himself to calm down, and then turned to the second page.

By convention, this page is usually signed by the report author or team.

However, what caught my eye was a glaring black strip—

The author's signature column was completely blacked out!

One can only vaguely guess from the length of the rectangular black block that there should have been 3-4 people's names here.

Lei Wencheng has been in the industry for decades and has participated in the review and decision-making of countless major projects, but he has never seen such a situation.

A report that recommends building a fusion demonstration reactor, which would be astronomically expensive, has its author completely hidden?

This obviously cannot be explained by just the word "confidentiality".

"That's my specific request," the voice on the other end chimed in, addressing his confusion. "To avoid preconceived notions among readers, swayed by non-technical factors... In short, just focus on the content and see if the technical basis and construction plan itself are tenable."

Lei Wencheng felt a slight sweat on his forehead. He raised his hand and wiped it with his knuckles, then nodded and said, "Yes, Chief."

Then he calmed himself down and continued turning the pages.

There are also many parts of the main text that are blacked out, apparently to hide specific research institutions, sources of certain overly detailed technical paths, or derivation processes.

Fortunately, the core technical parameters, engineering goals and budget are still clearly retained.

His eyes quickly scanned those frightening figures:

Power gain factor (Q value): expected steady-state operating value> 100

Operation mode: stable H mode

Background magnetic field strength: ≥12 T

……

These figures are actually very exaggerated.

But what made him feel even more shocked was yet to come——

Designed output power: 10 megawatts

You should know that the world's largest thermal power station is the Tokto Power Plant in Mongolia Province, with a designed total installed capacity of 6720MW.

The total installed capacity of the entire Three Gorges Project is only 22400MW.

In other words, the estimated power of this demonstration reactor is equivalent to 15 Tokto reactors, or four and a half Three Gorges Dams.

If we ignore transmission losses and grid redundancy requirements, a single reactor can meet the electricity needs of an entire region, or at least two provincial-level units...

Estimated total project investment (excluding non-grid infrastructure): RMB 75000000000.

Lei Wencheng considers himself to be quite sensitive to numbers.

However, this digit still made him subconsciously look at the brackets behind it.

When he saw the big words "RMB 750 billion", Lei Wencheng felt his breathing stagnate.

As one of the helmsmen of a super large group, he has naturally seen many projects with a total investment of tens of billions or even more.

But all of them require moving mountains and filling the sea, involving unimaginable amounts of earthwork.

But this one in front of us is just a demonstration pile.

Non-electric infrastructure is not included.

In other words, if we want to build roads, bridges or cities for this purpose, then everything will be considered separately.

It still gave him an unprecedented shock.

What is even more shocking is that judging from the leader's expression, it seems that he is really considering the feasibility of this project.

He forced himself to continue reading.

Although the key derivations in the technical demonstration part of the report are smudged, the logical chain is clear. In particular, regarding core bottlenecks such as plasma magnetohydrodynamic stability control, high confinement maintenance, and high heat load material solutions, specific solutions based on "breakthrough theoretical progress" and "proven engineering paths" are proposed.

It also mentioned many times that "the results of HL-2A long-pulse high-confinement operation have verified key theoretical expectations."

"One hour and ten minutes?"

This was something Lei Wencheng had never heard of even in the meetings in recent days.

If the source of the information was not so authoritative, he would even suspect that someone was playing a prank on him.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Lei Wencheng finally slowly closed the folder, feeling his palms were a little damp.

He took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead again.

"Have you finished reading it?" the old man asked, looking at him calmly.

"Yes, Chief." Lei Wencheng gently placed the folder back on the coffee table.

"Tell me what you think. Don't worry, just say whatever comes to your mind." The old man's tone was calm, but with a power that could not be avoided.

Lei Wencheng took a deep breath, sorted out his turbulent thoughts, and spoke carefully:

"Captain, frankly, after reading this proposal, my first reaction was... outrageous. This goal, this scale, and this investment far exceed our current conventional plans and expectations in the field of fusion research."

He paused for a moment, and seeing that the old man did not express anything, he continued:

"Our group's main business is nuclear engineering construction, not nuclear theoretical research. However, if... if the 'breakthrough theoretical progress' underlying the proposal is genuine and reliable, and as the report states, its key components have been verified on the HL-2A device through a 4200-second high-confinement, net energy gain run..."

He once again mentioned this news that was enough to shock the entire academic community:

"So, I believe that... the construction of this demonstration reactor, while enormously challenging, is not a castle in the air. From an engineering perspective, it already has... a certain foundation for feasibility."

The old man nodded slightly. "Well, let's put aside the issue of fusion realization for now and just consider the engineering field you're good at. Do you think it's worth investing in?"

Lei Wencheng knew that this was the core of the problem.

He straightened his back and his voice became steady:

"It's worth it! Commander, I think it's very worthwhile! And its significance even goes far beyond the technology itself!"

"One hundred thousand megawatts of stable, clean baseload electricity is enough to support the core electricity needs of two eastern coastal provinces or three to four inland provinces. More importantly, deuterium, the fusion fuel, can be extracted from seawater. While tritium needs to be multiplied, the consumption is extremely small. Furthermore, the total amount and transportation requirements of lithium resources required for multiplication and some radioactive raw materials for initial startup are far lower than the uranium resources required for fission reactors."

At this point, Lei Wencheng pointed to a section in the report:

"It also mentions that only a small portion of mineral raw materials will need to be imported, and even critical needs can be met by air freight. This will significantly reduce our dependence on coal and oil, and in turn, our critical reliance on maritime shipping routes, truly taking control of our energy lifeline."

"Furthermore, from the perspective of industrial and technological leadership, the international influence and strategic value of being the first to demonstrate the commercial application of fusion energy is immeasurable. It will mark a qualitative leap in humanity's energy utilization and may even be the key to our entry into the next stage of civilization... It's no exaggeration to say that the only comparable advancement in human development is the harnessing of fire by our Stone Age ancestors... This will undoubtedly reshape the global energy landscape and technological order."

At first, Lei Wencheng was just answering questions.

But later on, it even brought with it a yearning and affirmation for the great project.

The old man listened quietly without showing any obvious attitude.

"Well, you see the strategic significance very clearly." He put down his teacup and turned his gaze to Lei Wencheng. "What about the site selection? The proposal puts forward two preliminary options: Qiandong and Liaoxi. What do you think?"

Lei Wencheng perked up. He had been thinking about this question since he saw it just now.

So I quickly organized my answer:

"Commander, from a geo-security perspective, both locations meet the core requirements of 'strategic depth, away from major coastlines and sensitive land borders.' They are far from the potential first wave of strikes along the eastern coast, and also avoid the highly sensitive areas to the west and southwest. The difference in this respect is not significant."

"But from the perspective of engineering construction and future operational security, I personally prefer the Liaoxi plan." He said in a firm tone.

"Tell me your reason." A smile appeared on the old man's face for the first time.

“There are three main points:”

"First, after the Jincheng 504 reactor was shut down for renovation, our newly built tritium breeder test reactor is located in eastern Inner Mongolia, which is closer to the site in western Liaoning. Logistics support, especially the initial transportation of special materials, is more convenient and efficient. Eastern Guizhou is relatively remote."

"Secondly, Liaoning Province boasts a relatively strong heavy industry base and equipment manufacturing capabilities, especially in large pressure vessels and special materials processing. Areas like Shengjing and Lianhai have relatively complete supporting industries. Northeast China also boasts numerous top engineering colleges and nuclear-related research institutions, providing advantages in talent pools and collaborative networks."

"Finally, the question is the adaptability of defensive deployments... I'm not a military expert, but mountainous areas offer little in the way of concealment against modern reconnaissance methods. Instead, the plains and hills of western Liaoning Province are more conducive to deploying defensive systems. Furthermore, plains are more conducive to organizing large-scale construction projects, transporting heavy equipment, and building the ultra-high voltage transmission corridors that may be needed in the future."

Lei Wencheng explained his point clearly and logically, then waited quietly for the other party's response.

He knew in his heart that this proposal, and the site selection decision that followed, would usher in an unprecedented era.

"Okay, I know."

The old man stood up and made an appearance as if he was going to see the guest off.

As expected, when Lei Wencheng pushed open the door and left the office, he met the next colleague who was brought here at the door, just like Peng Juexian before him...