Insider Brief:
- China announced it would build 10 new nuclear reactors, located in its coastal regions, for a cost of US$27 billion.
- Beijing has approved similar numbers of reactors every year since 2022.
- The country currently has 57 operating nuclear reactors, with a total capacity of 56.9 GW.
Beijing this week said it would build 10 new nuclear reactors in its coastal regions, in a move that will cost US$27 billion, Reuters reported.
New Nuclear Builds Reinforce China’s Long-Term Energy Strategy
China is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Eight of these new reactors will use the domestically designed pressurised water reactor Hualong One. The other two reactors will use CAP1000 technology, inspired by Westinghouse AP1000, Xinhua reported.
China normally approves around 10-11 nuclear reactors per year since 2022, Reuters said.
Five of these projects will be expansions to existing nuclear reactors. These include Fangchenggang in Guanxi, Sanmen in Fujian, Haiyang in Shandong, Xiapu in Chongqing, and Taishan in Guangdong.
Taishan 3 and 4 will each have a capacity of 1200 Mwe, while Fangchenggang 5 and 6 will have a capacity of 1208 MWe, World Nuclear News reported.
At the end of last year, China had 57 operating nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 56.9 GW, and sits in third place in terms of installed capacity of nuclear facilities behind the U.S. and France.
The construction of the reactors was approved April 27 by the State Council, World Nuclear News reported.
