China plans to build 6-8 nuclear reactors a year till 2025

China plans to build six to eight nuclear reactors per year between 2020 and 2025 to raise its total capacity to 70 gigawatts, 43.5 percent up from the end of May 2020, as per reports.

According to China's Nuclear Energy Association, the nation’s total installed nuclear capacity will be 52 GW by the end of 2020. The earlier set target for 2020 was 58 GW target.

However, the nuclear energy association confirmed that China is expected to get back on track and bring total capacity either in operation or under construction to around 200 GW by 2035.

Key Highlights 

•  Six new nuclear reactors were approved by the Chinese authorities in 2019. 

•  In 2020, no new nuclear reactors were given a go-ahead, causing more delay to achieve the set target. However, Chinese officials were quoted saying that the nation’s nuclear industry will not be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

•  At the end of May 2020, China's nuclear capacity stood at 48.8 GW, accounting for 2.5 percent of its total generation capacity, as per data from the National Energy Administration.

China’s Nuclear Power: Background

•  Mainland China is reported to have 45 nuclear power reactors in operation, 12 under construction, and more about to start construction. The Chinese government aims to raise its nuclear capacity to 58 GW by 2020 with 30 GW under construction. 

•  There is a larger focus on obtaining nuclear power in China due to air pollution from coal-fired plants. The nation is largely self-sufficient in the design, construction of the nuclear reactor and other aspects of the fuel cycle.

•  Most of mainland China's electricity is produced from fossil fuels such as coal. While the wind and solar capacity in 2019 stood at 21 percent among the total installed generating capacity, it was delivering under 9 percent of electricity and coal was used to produce at least 69 percent of the total electricity. 

•  The rise in growth in electricity has resulted in power shortages and the reliance on fossil fuels is leading to air pollution. The air pollution in turn, has led to economic loss, at almost 6 percent of total GDP. 

•  According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), since 2012, China has been the country with the largest installed power capacity and it has increased its capacity by 85% since then to reach 2011 GWe in 2019, which is about a quarter of global capacity.

•  In November 2014, the Chinese Premier announced the nation’s intention to achieve at least 20% of its primary energy consumption from non-fossil fuels by 2030.