Want... The first nuclear fusion-fission hybrid reactor will be launched in China before 2030, according to Duowei News, a US-based news outlet run by overseas Chinese, citing a report in state-owned Science and Technology Daily.
Nuclear fusion refers to a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei come very close and then collide at a very high speed, joining to form a new type of atomic nucleus, whereas in nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts.
The report said that this newly launched reactor will be three times more powerful than a fission reactor. The hybrid reactor is comparatively safe as the power of the machine can be controlled externally, according to the report.
A scientist from Tsinghua University said that it is too early to talk about a hybrid reactor as a commercial fusion reactor has not yet been successfully developed. However, Evgeny Velikhov, a Russian physicist, has previously stated that a hybrid reactor might be easier to build than a fusion reactor as the hybrid would only need one fifth of the power needed by a fusion reactor to run.