China’s investment in nuclear power construction has well-nigh tripled since 2019
In 2023 China had 10 nuclear reactor units either approved or starting new construction, which was the highest on record. These approvals have accelerated after 2018 with the implementation of third-generation nuclear reactor technology. China approved four new units in 2019, four again in 2020 and five in 2021. Prior to 2019, there were three years when China didn’t approve any. Nuclear power development in the country had stalled after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011. Currently, nuclear power projects under construction in China predominantly use the domestically developed Hualong One pressurized water reactor technology. This third-generation nuclear power technology costs 18 billion yuan to 20 billion yuan per unit. At the end of 2023, China had 26 nuclear power units under construction nationwide, amounting 30.3 gigawatts of installed capacity, according to the report. China has the capacity to build 40 reactor units at the same time, Zhang Tingke, secretary-general of the China Nuclear Energy Association, said at the forum. Third-generation nuclear power technology has fully entered the mass production stage, with 13 Hualong One units under construction around the world. China has 55 commercial nuclear reactors in operation at the end of 2023 with a total installed capacity of 57 gigawatts. That puts the country in third place globally behind the United States and France.
Source: Caixin Global