After brief pause, China rushes to build more nuclear power plants

China briefly halted approval of new nuclear power plants as it reviewed safety standards in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, but is now deeply embracing the energy source.

The country is keen to tap cleaner power to fuel its power-hungry economy in a way that doesn’t destroy the environment

The nation gets about 2 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power and aimed to raise the level to 6 per cent by 2020. The country is operating 30 plants with a capacity of 26.9GW and another 24 are under construction. They will add another 28.8GW when they come online.

The nation’s latest five-year plan calls for a dramatic increase non-fossil fuel energy sources, in part by accelerating development of coastal nuclear power plants by 2020 to 58GW.

The head of the China Atomic Energy Authority, Xu Dazhe, was quoted recently by Xinhua as saying the country needed to speed up its nuclear power development while improving safety standards for the industry.

China General Nuclear Power and rival China National Nuclear plan to build four more reactors on mainland

Apart from energy concerns, China has been eager to advance its nuclear missile technology to bring it in line with other leading powers but its drive has faced resistance from the international community.