Chapter 193 Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection

Beijing in June was already starting to get hot and dry.

Lin Mo sat in a black sedan, driving across Changan Avenue toward the National Energy Administration. Outside the window were familiar street scenes—Tiananmen, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum—but he had no heart to admire them; his mind was entirely on the upcoming meeting.

It had been exactly one month since the successful ignition of tokamak-3. During this month, he and his team had barely had a full night's sleep—organizing data, writing reports, receiving visitors, and responding to doubts. Feedback from the International Science and Technology Alliance had finally arrived; after Smith led the team back, they submitted a 127-page evaluation report, concluding:

"All data is authentic and valid; China already possesses the engineering conditions in the field of Controlled Nuclear Fusion."

This report caused a massive stir in the international scientific community. Countries that were previously on the sidelines turned around one after another, and cooperation requests flew in like snowflakes. Japan hoped to introduce the technology, Germany invited Lin Mo for a lecture tour, and the U.S. Congress urgently held a hearing to discuss "how to respond to China's lead in Nuclear Fusion."

But Lin Mo had no time for that.

Today, the state was to formally discuss the site selection for the first batch of commercial Nuclear Fusion power plants.

9:00 AM, meeting room of the National Energy Administration.

When Lin Mo pushed the door open and entered, both sides of the long table were already full of people. He scanned the room—there were leaders from the Energy Administration, directors from the National Development and Reform Commission, the chief engineer of the State Grid, energy department heads from eastern coastal provinces, and several white-haired old Academicians.

Sitting in the main seat was an elderly man in his sixties with a lean face and sharp eyes. Lin Mo recognized him—Zhou Haidong, Deputy Director of the National Energy Commission, a "nuclear power veteran" who had been in charge of nuclear power for thirty years.

"Academician Lin is here," Zhou Haidong stood up and extended his hand. "Please, take a seat."

Lin Mo shook hands and sat in the seat reserved for him. Opposite him was a middle-aged official wearing a National Development and Reform Commission badge, who was sizing him up.

"Everyone is here," Zhou Haidong cleared his throat. "Let's begin the meeting."

He looked around and got straight to the point:

"Everyone knows about the successful ignition of tokamak-3. I've invited you all here today for one thing—where to build the first batch of commercial Nuclear Fusion power plants."

The meeting room fell silent.

"First, let me state a few principles." Zhou Haidong opened the document in front of him. "First, safety first. Although fusion power plants are inherently safe, we cannot take risks; the site selection must meet the strictest geological, meteorological, and hydrological conditions. Second, proximity to load centers. The advantage of fusion power is that it's clean and efficient; it cannot be built in places where no one uses electricity. Third, consider regional balance. The east lacks power, but the west also needs development; we cannot concentrate all resources on the coast."

He closed the document and looked at Lin Mo:

"Academician Lin, you are the chief consultant. Tell us your opinion first."

Lin Mo nodded, stood up, and walked to the map of China on the wall.

He picked up a laser pointer, and the red dot landed on the coast of Guangdong.

"My suggestion is—prioritize the layout in the eastern coastal areas."

Low murmurs broke out in the meeting room. Several representatives from the central and western regions exchanged glances.

Lin Mo continued:

"There are three reasons. First, electricity demand. The three provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong account for nearly one-third of the national GDP and more than one-fourth of the national electricity consumption. The Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta are still experiencing power rationing, and enterprises are complaining bitterly. If fusion power cannot be sent here, its significance is halved."

The laser pointer moved and landed on Jiangsu.

"Second, power grid infrastructure. The eastern coastal power grid is dense with good connection conditions. If built in the west, thousands of kilometers of ultra-high voltage transmission lines would need to be constructed, requiring massive investment and resulting in significant losses. The cost advantage of fusion power would be offset by transmission costs."

It moved again and landed on Shandong.

"Third, industrial foundation. The construction, operation, and maintenance of Nuclear Fusion power plants require complete industrial support. The eastern coastal manufacturing industry is developed, and technical workers are concentrated, allowing for the fastest response if problems arise. If built in remote areas, maintenance would be a problem in case of a malfunction."

He put down the laser pointer and looked at Zhou Haidong:

"Therefore, I suggest that the first three power plants be built in Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong respectively. Three provinces, three regions, covering the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and the Bohai Rim—the three most active growth poles of China's economy."

The meeting room was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into a wave of discussion.

"Guangdong has no problem," a middle-aged man with a Cantonese-accented Mandarin said. "We've been prepared for a long time; the site selection has been surveyed three times!"

"Jiangsu also has no problem," another official wearing gold-rimmed glasses nodded. "Our province has the best grid connection conditions, guaranteeing grid connection within a year!"

The representative from Shandong spoke up unhurriedly: "Shandong has no problem, but I have a question—why only three provinces?"

Lin Mo looked at him.

The Shandong representative continued: "Academician Lin, I'm not opposing your suggestion. But you said 'first batch,' so what about the second batch? The third batch? Although we in Shandong were selected, I'm asking on behalf of other provinces—how long will they have to wait?"

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately chimed in.

"Exactly, we in Hunan are also short on power!"

"Hubei needs it too!"

"What about Sichuan? Does the Great Western Development not need electricity anymore?"

Zhou Haidong tapped the table, signaling for silence.

"That's a good question." He looked at Lin Mo. "Academician Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Mo was silent for two seconds, then said:

"Director Zhou, leaders, to be honest—it's not that we don't want to build more, but the production capacity can't keep up."

The meeting room fell silent.

"tokamak-3 is only an experimental reactor, and many of its core components were still handcrafted. To achieve commercial use, we must have industrial production—the Magnet System, First Wall, Divertor, Tritium Cycle equipment—the number of domestic enterprises currently capable of mass-producing these things can be counted on one hand."

He looked at the Shandong representative:

"The Southwest Aerospace Factory can build Divertors, but the annual output is only three sets; Northeast Special Steel can produce First Wall Materials, but ramping up production capacity takes time; Shanghai Electric is working on a magnet production line and will only start production next year. Therefore, the first batch can only consist of three plants. It's not that we don't want more, but that's all we can manage."

The Shandong representative was silent for a while, then nodded:

"Understood. Then three it is. We in Shandong will go first, and once production capacity increases, we'll help our brother provinces."

With those words, the atmosphere softened a bit.

The meeting continued.

Next were reports from each province—Guangdong chose Yangjiang, which is near the Pearl River Delta load center, has stable geological conditions, and convenient seawater cooling. Jiangsu chose Lianyungang, on the northern wing of the Yangtze River Delta, with superior grid connection conditions. Shandong chose Yantai on the Jiaodong Peninsula, not far from the Weihai Nuclear Power Plant, allowing for shared supporting facilities.

Lin Mo listened to each one, occasionally interjecting with technical questions—distance from seismic fault zones, water supply guarantees, grid absorption capacity—and received satisfactory answers for all.

At 3:00 PM, Zhou Haidong made the final decision:

"Alright, then it's settled. Yangjiang in Guangdong, Lianyungang in Jiangsu, and Yantai in Shandong will be the sites for the first batch of three commercial Nuclear Fusion power plants. Each unit will immediately start preliminary work after the meeting, complete the feasibility study within a year, start construction within two years, and connect to the grid for power generation within five years."

He paused and looked at Lin Mo:

"Academician Lin, you are still the chief technical consultant. Any problems?"

Lin Mo stood up: "No problem."

Zhou Haidong nodded and suddenly smiled:

"Academician Lin, do you know what the scene was like thirty years ago when I first attended a nuclear power plant site selection meeting?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

Zhou Haidong pointed to the map on the wall:

"Back then, we were discussing Daya Bay. The French were helping us build it, and the technology was all theirs; we could only follow and learn. We couldn't understand the blueprints, we couldn't figure out the procedures, and if a valve was installed incorrectly, we had to invite French experts to fix it. At that time, I thought, when will we be able to build it ourselves, design it ourselves, and have the final say?"

He looked at Lin Mo, his eyes full of emotion:

"Now, you have let me see this day."

The meeting room fell silent.

Lin Mo was silent for two seconds, then said:

"Director Zhou, this isn't my credit alone."

"I know," Zhou Haidong nodded, "but you set a good example. Keep moving forward, don't look back."

After the meeting adjourned, the provincial representatives left one after another. Lin Mo packed his materials and prepared to return to the base.

"Academician Lin," someone called him from behind.

He turned around; it was that official from the National Development and Reform Commission.

"Hello."

The official walked over and handed him a business card: "My name is Wang Jianguo, from the High-Tech Department of the National Development and Reform Commission. Academician Lin, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Please, go ahead."

Wang Jianguo lowered his voice: "After the success of tokamak-3, many countries internationally want to cooperate with us. What's your take on technology export?"

Lin Mo was silent for a while, then said:

"Director Wang, I wouldn't dare speak casually on this matter. But I can give you a suggestion—stand firm first, then take a step."

"How so?"

"In fusion technology, we are leading now, but how long this lead can be maintained depends on two things: first, how fast we run ourselves, and second, how fast others learn. If technology export is too hasty and we teach others before we've formed an industrial advantage ourselves, we'll be in a passive position."

Wang Jianguo nodded thoughtfully.

"So you mean—keep it under wraps for a bit?"

Lin Mo smiled: "I'm not a policy expert, I'm just speaking from a technical perspective. How to decide specifically still depends on the higher-ups."

Wang Jianguo also laughed: "Academician Lin, you are more cautious than I imagined."

"I have to be cautious," Lin Mo said. "Nuclear Fusion isn't like a mobile phone chip where you can start over if you make a mistake. This is the lifeblood of energy; one wrong step affects the entire country."

Wang Jianguo nodded and extended his hand:

"Thank you, Academician Lin. Let's keep in touch."

Lin Mo shook his hand: "Alright."

It was already 6:00 PM when he walked out of the Energy Administration building.

Lin Mo stood on the steps, watching the heavy traffic on Changan Avenue. The setting sun dyed the sky golden-red, and the distant Great Hall of the People looked exceptionally solemn in the afterglow.

His phone vibrated.

A message from Li Xiao: "Senior, is the meeting over? What's the result?"

Lin Mo replied: "Settled. Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong."

Li Xiao replied instantly: "Wow! Then are we going on an inspection?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and replied: "Possibly. Prepare first, pull up the geological data for these three places, and I'll look at it when I get back."

"Got it! By the way, Chen Xueming asked when he can report to you about the Carbon Nanotubes Pilot-scale production plan."

Lin Mo checked the time: "9:00 AM tomorrow, in the meeting room."

"Got it! I'll let him know!"

Lin Mo put away his phone and walked down the steps.

The driver was already waiting by the car and opened the door.

"Academician Lin, back to the base?"

Lin Mo nodded and got into the car.

The car started and merged into the traffic on Changan Avenue. Lin Mo leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The meeting was over, the site selection was settled, and the first batch of commercial power plants was being launched.

But the real challenge had only just begun—

Carbon Nanotubes industrialization, space elevator pre-research, and that signal from Centaurus...

He opened his eyes and looked at the street scenes flashing past the window.

The lights of Beijing were beginning to come on, illuminating thousands of homes.

Behind those lights were the daily lives of countless families—cooking, watching TV, scrolling through phones, working overtime. They might not know where this electricity came from or who was behind the scenes making it all work.

But Lin Mo knew.

He also knew that one day, this electricity would come from fusion—clean, safe, and nearly infinite.

And beyond fusion, there was an even broader world waiting.

Outside the car window, night fell, and stars lit up one by one.

Lin Mo's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the low sky in the southeast.

That dark star was still there.