China is building nuclear reactors faster than the West. Can it keep up the pace?
When Francois Morin, China director at the World Nuclear Association – a leading international industry body – took a group of foreign nuclear engineers to a Shanghai Electric plant last year, the scale of production caught them off guard. Heavy machinery, from steam generators to reactor cores, was already assembled and ready for shipment to sites where construction had not even begun. The…
When a delegation of foreign nuclear engineers visited a Shanghai Electric plant in Shanghai last year, they were struck by the scale of manufacturing and assembly of heavy machinery ready for nuclear reactor construction, said Francois Morin, China director at the World Nuclear Association. The experience showcased how China’s construction capabilities outpace those of Western nations.
Since 2016, China has added 27 operational nuclear units, nearly doubling its installed capacity, while the United States added only two units during the same period, beset by delays and financing challenges. Victor Nian, founding co-chairman of the Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources think tank based in Singapore, noted that China is now the only country with continuous construction experience.
However, sustaining this rapid pace poses new challenges as prime sites for nuclear power plants become scarce. For China, affordable loans and standardised designs have played a pivotal role in reducing costs and improving efficiency. With interest rates as low as 1.5 per cent, the levelised cost of electricity for a 1 GW reactor drops to around US$42 per megawatt-hour, compared to US$83 per MWh under Western financing models.
China's nuclear ambitions are driven by state-planned approvals and a strategic focus on increasing installed capacity to 110GW by 2030.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
