(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) WORLD’S FIRST FUSION-FISSION HYBRID REACTOR

(JULY-2025)

Recently, China has announced the construction of Xinghuo, the world’s first hybrid fusion-fission nuclear plant.

China recently announced its ground-breaking plan to build Xinghuo, which translates to “spark” in Mandarin, the first hybrid fusion-fission nuclear power plant in history.
This invention represents a major advancement in the field of energy production and has the potential to spark a technological revolution with broad geopolitical and economic ramifications.
By combining both fusion and fission reactions, Xinghuo’s hybrid nature promises to maximise energy output while minimising radioactive waste, establishing a new standard for nuclear power sustainability and efficiency.

Fission, a process that releases energy by splitting heavy atomic nuclei like uranium, is at the heart of modern nuclear power technology.
Our sun, on the other hand, is powered by fusion, a reaction in which two lighter atomic nuclei unite to form a heavier nucleus while releasing a tremendous amount of energy.
Fusion is a very efficient energy source because it can theoretically produce four times as much energy per kilogramme of fuel as fission.
The Xinghuo plant’s capacity to combine these two reactions makes it special.
The high-energy neutrons produced by the fusion process are used to initiate fission in surrounding materials, creating a self-sustaining cycle that maximizes energy production.
This cleverly designed dual-stage reactor system has the potential to completely transform the way we use nuclear energy by making the most of each particle

Capitalises on the differences between the benefits of fusion and fission: Whereas fission reactors are “neutron poor” and “power rich,” fusion reactors are “neutron rich” and “power poor.”
Fuel Supply: By breeding, a hybrid reactor would generate enough fissile fuel. Fertile materials can be transformed into fissile materials (such as uranium-233 or plutonium-239) by fusion neutrons, expanding the supply of fuel.
Low Power Requirements: Because the primary function of hybrid reactors is the production of neutrons rather than energy, they require less fusion power than pure reactors.
Decreased Radioactive Wastes: The blanket’s neutron flux has the potential to convert long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived, less hazardous, and simpler-to- dispose wastes.