Success of nuclear reactor Hualong One suggests it can compete with wind and solar to drive China’s decarbonisation
- With the first Hualong reactor delivered on schedule, the costs have come down, says Xiamen University’s Lin Boqiang
- China has a clear advantage over European rivals in the sector
Nuclear power has the potential to compete with wind and solar farms in China in the long term, energy experts said, as the segment’s notoriously high construction costs come down.
“The high costs of the world’s initial few third-generation nuclear plants were due to construction delays related to supply chain challenges, which is understandable,” said Lin Boqiang, dean of Xiamen University’s China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy. “With the first Hualong reactor delivered on schedule, the costs have come down, and if more plants can be delivered within the 62-month completion schedule, the costs will be acceptable and competitive.”
Hualong One’s on-time delivery is significant because nuclear power, which contributed 4.8 per cent to China’s total power output last year, has grown much slower than wind and solar power. Its production rose by 5 per cent last year, trailing the 16 per cent recorded by wind and solar energy. It was, however, ahead of coal and gas-fired electricity’s 2.5 per cent.
