China Approves 11 New Nuclear Reactors, Including Fourth-Generation Design
State-run China Energy News reported that officials on August 19 approved construction of 11 nuclear reactors across the country, part of a wave of new reactors that could see China surpass both the U.S. and France in terms of operating reactors by the end of the decade.
CGN Power Co., a subsidiary of China’s state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp., said it has received approval to move forward with construction of six nuclear reactors across three sites. Those approvals were noted in a CGN filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday. China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) in a social media post said it received approval for three reactors, and State Power Investment Corp. said it has approval for two units.
New Reactors at Five Sites
China Energy News reported that the State Council signed off on new reactors in sites across Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. The agency said total investment for all 11 units would be at least 220 billion yuan ($31 billion). Jiemian, a digital media outlet focused on Chinese business and finance, said construction of the new reactors is expected to be complete within the next five years.
China, which is building more new nuclear power capacity than any other country, approved 10 new reactors in both 2023 and 2022. There are currently 56 operating reactors in China, providing about 5% of the country’s total electricity demand, according to the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA). Nuclear power analysts have said they expect approvals for at least 10 new reactors each year for the next few years.
The CNEA in late July said China has a world-leading 26 nuclear power units under construction.
Fourth-Generation Reactor
CNNC said the new projects announced Monday include a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor at the Xuwei plant in Jiangsu. The company said the fourth-generation reactor would supply both heat and electricity and would include advanced safety features. CNNC also said it received approval for two Hualong One reactors at the Xuwei plant.
CGN said each of its six new reactors would be Hualong One designs.
Data from the Nuclear Energy Institute shows 94 operating reactors in the U.S., at 53 different power plants located in 28 states. France has 56 operating reactors at 18 different power plants.
—Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).