by <unknown>
"And what's the other location?" Chen Chen thought about it, then asked again.
"The other location isn't to the north of Walvis Bay but to the south."
Qian Wenhuan moved his finger down. "Again, the railway is the cheapest means of transportation. We can't be too far from the railway or the cost will increase steeply, so the southern coastal area of Walvis Bay is possible too."
Chen Chen took a look and saw a long string of words —"Namib-Naukluft National Park".
"This location isn't bad but…"
Jennifer, the legal advisor, hesitated. "The construction of a nuclear power plant will require the permission of the Namibian Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection, but environmental protection is written into the Namibian constitution. Applying to build in either location would be quite troublesome."
"That's not something we have to worry about."
Chen Chen guzzled a bottle of milk, wiped his mouth, and tapped the table. "Let's go with the second location then. Ten kilometers to the south of Walvis Bay, right there."
"Er, about the authorities…" Qian Wenhuan was astonished.
"Since it can be written into the constitution, it can be struck out as well." Chen Chen's smile was cold. "Namibia isn't the only country in Africa, after all."
Chapter 67: The Essence Of Technology Is Boiling Water |
In the evening, when Chicurel from the Namibian Department of Investment had paid Chen Chen another visit, Chen Chen informed him of the site's location.
Although Chicurel appeared a little worried, he still smiled and said that he would report Chen Chen's proposal to the Parliament.
As for whether the Department of Investment and the Ministry of Environmental Protection would disagree over this or even battle each other in Parliament to determine the outcome, it did not concern Chen Chen.
In the following days, Chen Chen declined the Namibian officials' offer to accompany him. He brought along only Qian Wenhuan and the rest to visit the tourist attractions in Namibia.
Even in the entire African Continent, Namibia was considered a country with the most developed tourism industry. Tourist attractions and wildlife sanctuaries could be seen everywhere —
The sacred mountain known as Spitzkoppe Mountain, featuring the world-famous Rock Arch, appeared stately and magnificent under the night sky studded with stars.
In the vast desert, there was the quiver tree unique to Africa, whose branches stretched to the sky like a palm demanding something from the heavens.
There was also the breathtaking sight of the yellow sand flowing into the great sea. On one side, the endless desert and on the other, the blue misty sea. Two initially unrelated landscapes were seamlessly integrated like a symphony of sea and sand…
The sparse population meant that there were plenty of undeveloped natural landscapes. Coupled with spring-like temperatures and a political situation that was more stable than its neighbors, this had become the most popular country for tourism in Africa.
Of course, Chen Chen did not come here just for fun. He also visited Husab and Rössing, the two uranium mines controlled by Mainland China.
Both mines were located in the Namib Desert of Western Namibia. The Husab Uranium Mine was sixty kilometers away from the coastal city of Swakopmund and the Rössing Uranium Mine was located ten kilometers to the south of Arandis.
Among the two mines, Husab ranked third in the world in terms of uranium resource reserves, totaling up to 286,000 tons. It could produce 6,500 tons of triuranium octoxide each year, ranking second in the world.
The Rössing Uranium Mine had an annual output of 2500 tons, ranking fifth in the world.
After his tour around, Chen Chen's heart felt significantly heavier on the way back.
After preliminary contact and discussion, the quotations given by China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation were almost the same. If Chen Chen wanted to build a nuclear power plant with a generating capacity of 1 million kilowatts in the southern part of Walvis Bay, it would roughly cost 14 billion RMB.
That was about 2 billion USD.
This was much higher than the market price because of material transportation.
The building materials needed for nuclear power plants were impossible to find within the African industry. They must be transported by sea from Mainland China. With a few round trips across a 15,000-kilometer distance, the cost would naturally increase.
Of course, this referred to the price of a third-generation nuclear power plant, CAP1400, which was an improved version of the AP1000 technology imported from North American to Mainland China.
Generally speaking, the reactors of nuclear power plants were categorized as "light water reactors" and "heavy water reactors". "Heavy water reactors" were essentially not used in China, which had always used "light water reactors".
"Light water reactors" were further classified as "pressurized water reactors" and "boiling water reactors".
The CAP1400 was a sort of "passive pressurized water reactor". First, the nuclear fuel underwent fission, producing an immense amount of heat. Then, this heat energy was transferred out using highly pressurized water. A generator turned this to steam that propelled the steam turbine and electricity was continuously produced.
As distinct from the second-generation reactor, the third-generation CAP1400's biggest feature was its simple design and easy operation. It was simpler and more effective than traditional nuclear reactors, further improving the safety of nuclear power plants.
As for the "boiling water reactor", it was enough to look at what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Besides its higher level of safety, the other reason Chen Chen had selected CAP1400 was that the third-generation nuclear power plant could use modular technology in the construction process, thus significantly shortening the construction period. It could begin officially operating in just 18 months.
Still, after understanding how these nuclear power plants worked, Chen Chen could not help but sigh. No wonder people on the Internet always mocked that "the essence of human technology is boiling water and finding ways to boil water more effectively."
The only aspect that Chen Chen was not satisfied with was the reactor's output.
A one-million-kilowatt nuclear power plant sounded impressive but in fact, it was only equivalent to 10MVA. The average electricity requirement was 8kW per household, with three people per household. Even at half the rate of consumption, this would only supply 750,000 people with daily electricity.
Besides, Chen Chen was not generating electricity for its own sake. His true purpose in building a nuclear power plant was to charge the USB drive. Therefore, even after the nuclear power plant was built, Chen Chen would have to skim off some of the output, perhaps even more than half of it, on a regular basis.
Thus, a one-million-kilowatt nuclear reactor was inadequate. Chen Chen hoped to expand it to two million!
It looked like the loan and the release plan for the new product could not be put off any longer.
As Chen Chen considered all this while sitting in a four-wheel off-road vehicle, he absentmindedly looked out the window.
The strong breeze over the open plain swept across his face, creating a cooling sensation. At the moment, the sun had already set over the horizon, leaving only the crimson afterglow of twilight reflected in the sky.
The sky and the earth darkened gradually. The villages that occasionally appeared on the fringes of the road had also built their fires.
"Electricity" was a product that had become a part of human daily life in the 21st century, yet in this wild, undeveloped nation, it was still a luxury…
Who would have thought that Namibia, so full of uranium mines and incomparably rich in rare-earth resources, relied on imports for 70% of its electricity?
Namibia's annual GDP was only 14 billion USD. The top twenty percent of wealthy white people here accounted for eighty percent of the country's total
income. 60% of the banks were controlled by foreign capital and the ordinary folk generally lived below the poverty line.
Developing a nuclear power plant required capital and technology. The Namibian officials simply did not have the financial resources.
The country's economy was underdeveloped, their funds were insufficient, and they lacked the necessary technology for developing nuclear energy. Due to all these factors, the entire country suffered from a serious power shortage. They could only sit on their treasure trove of uranium mines but had no other means.
Due to the perennial power shortage, the Namibian government was forced to introduce a policy called the "Modified Single Buyer framework". This encouraged qualified independent power manufacturers to sell electricity directly to their people, instead of the current situation where everything was controlled by the Namibian power utility company.
From this, one could see how far the officials had been pushed to the brink.
Even so, they were considered to be a smart, powerful government in the African Continent. They did not even have a resistance army within their borders. Unlike other countries, which were endlessly plagued by wars and warlords — forget about development, even peace and stability were a luxury.
However, it was precisely because of this that Chen Chen's intention to build a nuclear power plant instantly caused an uproar in the Parliament.
After all, the financial investment for a single nuclear power plant alone exceeded the total foreign trade of Namibia throughout the year.
Chapter 68: Kidnap |
In the evening, a Jeep Wrangler soared across a dark plain. A dust dragon spanning more than ten meters long trailed behind it while its diesel engine produced a roaring rumble which echoed across the plains.
Chen Chen sat in the back seat of the jeep. He silently gazed at the fading afterglow of the evening sky, the scenery reminded him of a slowly extinguishing bonfire.
Due to the long meeting with the person in charge of the Rössing Uranium Mine, the day had turned dark by the time he wanted to return to Walvis Bay.
Apart from Chen Chen, there were three people in the car which included Cheng Cao the driver, Qian Wenhuan, and Wang Liang.
The jeep was not particularly fast due to the lack of streetlights on the Namibia highways. If it were not for the Rössing Uranium Mine located nearby, there might not even be a proper paved asphalt road here.
Wang Liang, who sat in the passenger seat in front, took out a pack of Furong Wang cigarettes from his pocket. He stuck one into Cheng Cao's mouth, who was driving beside him and took another one for himself.
"Click!"
The sound of a lighter. Wang Liang lit the cigarette between his lips, then directed the ember in front of Cheng Cao.
In an instant, the interior of the car was illuminated by the glow of the lighter, the scenery outside the window became less visible than it already was.
Chen Chen instinctively turned around. From outside the window, he spotted several flickering orange beams scattered across the side of the road.
At the same time, there was a sharp sound of an engine screech coming from behind them. It seemed to be vehicles with high-caliber engines advancing toward them.
"Turn ninety degrees to the left."
Chen Chen spoke suddenly.
Qian Wenhuan along with Wang Liang who was helping Cheng Cao lighting his cigarette were both slightly startled. Cheng Cao, on the other hand, barely had a moment of hesitation. The moment Chen Chen gave the order, he turned the steering wheel to the left!
"Screech--!"
The momentum caused by the sudden turn flung all of the passengers on board to the right. Chen Chen used this chance to look out the window. He saw that the wheels of the car nearly skimmed directly over a row of a pitch-black object!
Traffic spikes!
At the same time, Chen Chen could hear a mix of grumbling. It was a strange pronunciation of inhaled breathing and clicking of the tongue.
"Zulu?" Chen Chen quickly looked behind them. He could faintly see seven to eight different figures. If not for the cigarette butt in their hands, they would have nearly completely melded in the blackness of the night.
He felt the jolt of violent turbulence.
Even though they had managed to avoid the traffic spikes, the jeep had strayed off-road and they were now driving on the plain fields full of bumps and the occasional potholes.
At the same time, a pickup was slowly approaching from behind them.
"Get back on the main road, otherwise, we'll get lost!" Chen Chen reminded.
"Got it!" Cheng Cao paid no mind to the pickup closing the gap between them. With another abrupt turn, he directed the car back toward the direction of the main road.
"Boss, what's going on?"
It was only then when Wang Liang finally regained his composure, the maneuvers of Chen Chen and Cheng Cao earlier had left him in a daze.
"Are they robbers?" Qian Wenhuan managed to keep his cool somewhat, apart from the fact that he kept stealing glances behind them. "They're driving so fast. Aren't they worried about overturning their cars?"
"They're not robbers, they're coming for us."
Chen Chen drew the gun strapped to his waist. He aimed at the driver seat of the approaching pickup from his rear view window.
"Bo, boss…" Qian Wenhuan was shocked. The moment reminded him of the time when they were in the shooting range in Switzerland…
"Bang!"
As expected, there was a sudden thunderous explosion in his ears. Qian Wenhuan immediately covered his ears. He felt like everything in the world was spinning!
At the same time, a bloody mist suddenly erupted on the windscreen of the pickup trailing behind them. The entire vehicle spun around in the air several times like an acrobat before violently slamming onto the ground!
"Thump!"
"…"
Everything happened in a flash. Qian Wenhuan was utterly stunned by what he was witnessing. Cheng Cao was the only one who kept his cool and continued driving. Other than sparing a glance into the rearview mirror, his expression remained ever so stoic.
After that, the jeep returned onto the main road. Throughout the entire sequence, the vehicle had hardly slowed down, if at all.
Inside the car, there was nothing but a wave of silence.
Chen Chen reloaded the gun and put the safety back on in a practiced manner as if nothing had happened. It was just the broken rear windscreen and the harsh bellowing of the roaring wind.
"Uh, boss…" after some time, Wang Liang, who sat on the passenger seat, asked a question, "Are we not going to call the police?"
"What happens after that?" Chen Chen shot a glance at Wang Liang without a change of expression.
For some reason unbeknownst to him, Wang Liang suddenly felt a pang of chill in his heart as if he had been stung by something. Before he had even realized it, he had swallowed the words he was going to say.
"The Glock 18C is a fully automatic weapon, it's going to be very troublesome if we call the police."
Cheng Cao, who had been focusing on driving the entire time, chimed in suddenly. "Also, if this is about what the boss did, there's not going to be much use calling the police."
"I, I see…" Wang Liang chuckled awkwardly.
"They spoke Zulu, which belongs to the Bantu branch of the Congo dialect. There's a very tiny portion of people in Namibia who use this language," Chen Chen explained dully.
"Ah?" Qian Wenhuan was still massaging his ears. "Boss, how did you know it was Zulu?"
"I found the time to read several books on African languages while I was on the flight on the way here," Chen Chen answered.
Qian Wenhuan fell silent.
"The reason I made the sharp turn just now was because I noticed the traffic spikes on the road."
Cheng Cao went on. "Since they weren't Namibian natives and had gone through the effort of setting up traffic spikes, it goes without saying that they bore hostile intentions.
The boss made a right call firing at them just now."
"Besides, this isn't Mainland China."
With this explanation, Wang Liang, who originally thought that Chen Chen went overboard, was left completely speechless.
Fortunately, there were no unforeseen accidents for the rest of their journey as the four of them successfully returned to Walvis Bay.
When they got out of the car, Chen Chen instructed Qian Wenhuan, "Report this to the Namibian officials. Spare the unnecessary details, just tell them we were ambushed by forces on the other side of the border. Have them dispatch troops to protect me."
"Ok," Qian Wenhuan answered promptly.
"Also, due to this incident, I will not be leaving the hotel for the time being. From now on, you'll be the one who'll meet them for further discussions." Chen Chen added.
"Understood." Qian Wenhuan solemnly nodded. "I know what to do."
When Chen Chen had returned to the room, the first thing he did was perform a sweep on the room and all of the windows. After ensuring there were no issues, he pulled up the curtain, laid back on the couch, and began thinking.
One detail he had left out in the car today was that Zulu was the primary language of the Rainbow Nation.
As one of the neighbors of Namibia, the two countries shared a rich history. Back then, Namibia was founded by separating itself from the Rainbow Nation as a separate, independent entity.
It would seem that certain forces could no longer hold their silence when they saw he was going to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia.
The Rainbow Nation was certainly not very enthusiastic about seeing a neighboring force growing stronger, not even if it was just the early signs of a sprout. Especially not when they were weakening by the day.
In the '90s, the Rainbow Nation was one of the leading countries of the African Continent. On top of their economic and military strength, they had even possessed nuclear weapons at one point. Those days were long behind them and they were now merely a shadow of their former selves.
