China has approved plans for building ten nuclear reactors for RMB 200 billion (USD 28 billion), putting the country on track to push its nuclear power generation capacity past the US to become the world’s largest by 2030.
The plan to build the reactors was approved at a State Council executive meeting in April. Eight will be third-generation Hualong One reactors, which China’s state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation and China General Nuclear Power Group claim to have independently developed based on US and French pressurized water reactors (PWR).
The remaining two reactors will be CAP1000 units based on the AP1000 PWR developed by US-based Westinghouse. The total power generation capacity of the 10 reactors is expected to reach around 12,000 megawatts.
The reactors will be built in the provinces of Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with all planned locations along the coast.
The power plants will be operated by the two nuclear energy companies, as well as such state-owned power companies as State Power Investment Corporation and China Huaneng Group.
The Chinese government has been promoting nuclear power plant construction since the 1980s, using technology from France and other countries. The disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011 led to the tightening of safety measures and Beijing halting new licenses for nuclear plants.
Approval for new projects resumed in 2019 and the pace quickened to about ten reactors per year from 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made nuclear power part of his efforts to cut air pollution.
Gasoline-powered vehicles contribute to air pollution and pose risks to energy security due to oil imports. China relies on overseas sources for about 70% of the crude oil it consumes. Beijing is pushing electric vehicles as an alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, creating a need to secure more electricity.
The nuclear push also serves as a measure against global warming. In 2020, Xi said China would strive to make carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions before 2060.
As a result, there were 57 nuclear reactors in operation in China at the end of 2024, with a total generating capacity of 59,760 MW, according to an April report by a Chinese government-affiliated nuclear power industry group. In terms of capacity, China is third in the world after the US and France, the report said.
Generating capacity of China’s nuclear power plants in 2030 will reach 110,000 MW, according to projections in the report, and that if the current construction pace around the world continues, China will overtake the US and France to become the leader.
Nuclear power accounted for 4.7% of China’s power mix based on generation in 2024, according to government statistics. Conventional power generation, which mainly uses coal and other fossil fuels, remains the highest at 67.4%.
The report predicts that the proportion of nuclear power will reach 10% by 2040.
In the US, construction costs for large nuclear power plants have soared, and new construction has stagnated. A large nuclear power plant built in Georgia led to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse and heavy losses for its parent company, Toshiba.
Construction costs are also rising in Europe. In China, state-owned enterprises build plants one after another, helping to increase proficiency and curb sudden cost increases.
This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.