China’s vast nuclear power sector now able to build 50 reactors at a time
China has more reactors under construction than the rest of the world combined, as it aims to become a global leader in nuclear power
China has announced that it now has the capacity to build up to 50 nuclear reactors simultaneously, as it doubles down on a push to rapidly expand its nuclear power generation and become a global leader in the sector.
The figure came from a report released by the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) on Friday, which highlights the country’s ability to run dozens of nuclear projects concurrently spanning the full project life cycle – from design to construction.
“China’s nuclear technology capabilities have moved from ‘following’ to ‘keeping pace’, and in some areas to ‘leading’,” the report said.
China aims to become a “strong country” in nuclear power by 2030, surpassing the United States in terms of total installed nuclear capacity and emerging as the world’s largest nuclear power producer by scale, according to the CNEA.
The country already has 60 nuclear reactors in commercial operation and another 36 under construction, which represents more than half of the total number of reactors currently being built globally, the report shows.
Chinese authorities have also approved 16 reactors for future construction. Once all those projects are completed, China’s installed nuclear power capacity will reach 125 gigawatts (GW), according to the report.
By 2040, China is projected to have 200GW of installed capacity, Yang Changli, rotating chairman of the CNEA, told domestic media outlet chinanews.com.cn.