Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex

Monday, 8th May 2006 by James

Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex is purportedly used for the manufacture of China’s Nuclear weapons. The plant is centred in a small patch of high-resolution satellite photography, but I’m sure those readers who understand Nuclear power plants can tell all sorts from the various buildings and reactors.

I’m sadly not one of those people, but it does seem to me that there’s Hanzi writing in these unused cooling towers? I suppose it could be a safety warning if you happen to be in the tower or maybe it’s a message to the US, who have been monitoring the area via satellite since 1962.

More info and historical satellite photos on GlobalSecurity.org.

Thanks: Tim

6 Responses to 'Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex'

  1. 1. Nibson says:

    I don’t think that’s large type inside the cooling towers, just the sunlight and silhouette of the small supports that go all around the base of the tower.

  2. 2. Tim says:

    Score, a WMD facility? I hit the jackpot! All I did was submit this and ask what it is.

  3. 3. mash says:

    oh-oh! Don’t let Bush read this. He could try to “free” China ;)

  4. 4. mash says:

    By the way: Here

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    is a former nuclear power plant which was transformed into some kind of theme park. Crazy.

  5. 5. Arne says:

    mash: This is the nuclear power plant in Kalkar, Germany. It was never in use and the project was abandoned in 1991. The site did cost 3.5 Billion Euro to build but was later sold for merely 2.5 Million Euro and then transformed to a hotel and theme park.

    [url=http://www.kernies-familienpark.de/seiten/allgemein.cfm?artikelblockNr=80&spracheschluessel=de]Link to the theme park with some images ( requires Java )[/url]. Page is in german though.

  6. 6. Arne says:

    Hopefully this works better?

    http://www.kernies-familienpark.de/seiten/allgemein.cfm?artikelblockNr=80&spracheschluessel=de

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