China’s Nuclear Power Boom Is Accelerating Faster Than Expected

China plans to put into operation seven new nuclear reactors this year, boosting its already substantial fleet of nuclear generators, which is already the largest in the world. Ground has been broken on two of the seven planned for commissioning before the end of the year.

Another 16 reactors have been approved for construction, and a total of 36 are under construction, Global Times reported, citing official data. There are 60 already operating nuclear reactors in the country with an installed capacity of 125 million kW.

China recently overtook the United States as the country with the biggest nuclear generator fleet in the world, after it added 34 GW in capacity over a decade. This year, the country also plans to launch the first small modular reactor in the world that received the stamp of approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

China will use the Linglong One reactors and other small reactors predominantly to meet power demand in places with weaker grids, China’s top nuclear energy official said last year.

Small modular reactors are believed to be simpler and cheaper to build and install. Because of their smaller size, it is possible to install SMRs on sites that are not suitable for bigger reactors. They are also significantly cheaper and faster to build than conventional reactors and can be constructed incrementally to meet the growing energy demand of a site.

Practical implementation of the technology, however, has been troubled. In the United States, NuScale, which was set to build the country’s first SMR, cancelled the project, citing a lack of interest amid rising electricity costs.

Big Tech’s foray into artificial intelligence could improve the economics of small modular reactors and boost the appeal of larger reactors as well, as a source of reliable baseload electricity supply.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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