On 19 August, during a State Council meetChinese Premier Li Qiang approved 11 nuclear reactors in the coastal provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Guangxi with a total estimated investment of US$33.3 billion. The development is in line with China’s broader green transition goals, which were set out in a recent Directivein which coastal nuclear power, along with wind, solar and hydropower, was identified as central to the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries and the development of clean energy bases.
As of July 2024, China’s nuclear capacity will rank just behind second-place France. However, its ambitious expansion plans could see the country overtake both France and the United States (currently the largest nuclear energy producer) by 2030.
According to the Global Energy MonitorChina has 58.1 GW of operational nuclear capacity, while France has 64.0 GW. However, the country has outperformed France in annual nuclear power generation for four years in a row. China has also rapidly expanded its nuclear capacity over the past decade, while France’s capacity has largely stagnated since the beginning of the 21st century.
China’s nuclear power expansion is driven by the country’s goals to meet rising energy demand while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) aims to increase the country’s operational nuclear capacity to 70 GW by 2025. Although China may narrowly miss this target, it is expected to overtake France with 66 GW by 2026, securing its position as the country with the second-largest nuclear power capacity.
Although the United States at the moment China leads all countries with 94 nuclear power plants in operation and a total capacity of 102 GW. China’s progress is expected to rapidly close the gap over the next decade. Its total projected capacity – including nuclear power plants that have begun construction – would put it above the United States.
In the early 2000s, the Chinese leadership wisely made a U-turn and promoted electric vehicles before they became popular. China is also now a leader in nuclear energy. foreground the further development and implementation of state-of-the-art technologies, in particular Generation III and Generation IV reactors. The company has not only acquired the AP1000, a Generation III reactor developed by the US company Westinghouse, but has also developed its own Generation III reactor, the HPR1000 or Hualong One.
With four Hualong One units in operation in China, 13 under construction and international deployments in Pakistan and Argentina, China is establishing itself as a technology leader and supplier in the global nuclear energy market.
In addition, China is leading the advancement of Generation IV reactor technology. In December 2023, the world’s first Generation IV nuclear reactor, the HTR PM (High Temperature Reactor Pebble Bed Module) has been put into commercial operation in China. This small modular reactor (SMR) design demonstrates China’s commitment to flexible deployment and faster construction of nuclear power plants.
Despite this impressive expansion of nuclear energy, the country is facing Setbacks in its development of nuclear energy domestically. After the nuclear accident in Fukushima in 2011, the Chinese government imposed a moratorium on the licensing of nuclear power plants domestically due to concerns about safety and environmental impact. As a result, China cancelled 185 inland nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 201 GW, more than the US reactor fleet currently in operation.
The Lift The moratorium on domestic nuclear power has been a topic of discussion given China’s ambitious carbon reduction goals. Some canceled domestic projects, such as the Taohuajiang, Xianning Dafan and Jiangxi Pengze nuclear power plants, may have a smoother path to construction and operation due to their preparation and initial investment.
As China continues its ambitious plans to expand its nuclear energy, closely monitoring the ratio of project cancellations to new projects is crucial to assessing the overall success and sustainability of the country’s nuclear power strategy.
