China to nearly double nuclear power capacity by 2040 in rapid build-up
China will nearly double its nuclear power capacity by 2040, making it by far the world's largest nuclear power generator, according to a new report by the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA).
The country is set to build dozens of new reactors to raise its installed capacity to 200 gigawatts – more than double the US' current capacity – by the end of the next decade, the Chinese industry body said in the paper released on Monday.
Beijing has embarked on one of the fastest buildouts of nuclear power facilities in history over recent years, as it strives to decarbonise the Chinese economy while also avoiding excessive dependence on weather-dependent green energy sources such as solar and wind.
Roughly half of the 61 nuclear reactors currently under construction worldwide are located in China, according to a Goldman Sachs report published last week.
China had 102 reactors either in use or under construction with a combined capacity of 113GW as of the end of 2024, which are clustered in the country's economically prosperous coastal provinces, the CNEA report said.
The United States had 94 operational reactors with a total installed capacity of nearly 97GW as of 2024, according to US Energy Information Administration data.
France has the world's third-largest nuclear power capacity, with 56 reactors in use, and several European countries have announced plans to construct more nuclear facilities.
However, China's plans dwarf Europe's in terms of scale.In April, China's State Council approved the construction of 10 more reactors across five sites dotting the country's coastline, which will require a combined investment of 200 billion yuan (US$27.9 billion).
Based on the current pace of construction, China will leapfrog the US to become the world's largest nuclear power generator in terms of installed capacity by 2030, according to the CNEA.
Nuclear power will account for about 10 per cent of China's energy mix by the end of the 2030s, it added.
Of the 10 newly announced reactors, eight will use China's domestically built Hualong One reactor – a third-generation nuclear power technology that Beijing aims to promote worldwide.
Each reactor is capable of generating about 10 billion kWh of electricity per year, enough to meet the annual demand of 1 million people.
Competition between the US and China appears to be growing over nuclear power generation, with Washington reportedly suspending licenses for the export of some nuclear power generation equipment to China in early June.
In May, US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to accelerate the construction of additional nuclear capacity in the US, with a goal of raising the country's installed capacity to 400GW by 2050.
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