China Greenlights Record-Breaking Nuclear Expansion

China approved the construction of 11 new nuclear reactors on Monday, breaking a record and once again demonstrating its all-of-the-above attitude to energy security.

The country is building more nuclear power plants than any other country in the world—just like its coal power plants—and based on those record approvals, it plans to build even more, becoming the world’s biggest nuclear generator by 2030, according to BloombergNEF.

Bloomberg reports that there are 56 operating nuclear reactors in China, whose combined capacity covers about 5% of the country’s electricity, per data from the China Nuclear Energy Association. Investment bank Citic Securities has forecast that China would keep approving new nuclear capacity at the rate of 10 reactors annually over the next three to five years, the Bloomberg report also said.

Earlier this year, Chinese government data showed there were 26 nuclear reactors under construction in the country, set to add over 30 GW in generation capacity to the country’s total when completed. Last year, an official from the China Nuclear Energy Association predicted that the country would be approving between six and eight new reactors annually “within the foreseeable future.”

Air pollution from coal-fired power plants is a major impetus for China to expand its nuclear generation fleet, according to the World Nuclear Association. Many countries in the West, with the notable exception of Germany, have also recognized that nuclear power generation would help them achieve net-zero emission goals.

At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai at the end of last year, the United States and 21 other countries pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, saying incorporating more nuclear power in their energy mix is critical for achieving their net zero goals in the coming decades. China did not sign the pledge but is clearly betting on nuclear for a cleaner but still reliable grid.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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