Nuclear Power in China

Updated Tuesday, 13 August 2024

• The impetus for nuclear power in China is increasingly due to air pollution from coal-fired plants.
• China’s policy is to have a closed nuclear fuel cycle.
• China has become largely self-sufficient in reactor design and construction, but is making full use of Western technology while adapting it.
• Relative to the rest of the world, a major strength is the nuclear supply chain.
• China’s policy is to ‘go global’ with exporting nuclear technology including heavy components in the supply chain.

56

Operable
Reactors

54,362 MWe

30

Reactors Under
Construction

32,203 MWe

0

Reactors
Shutdown

0 MWe

Operable nuclear power capacity

Electricity sector