Before Fukushima in 2011, China was steadily raising its 2020 nuclear energy target. (from 40 GW, to 60 GW, 70 GW, 80-85GW). With Fukushima, China paused its new nuclear reactor approval and had existing construction retrofitted with more safety systems. China paused inland construction approvals. Now everything is back on the table. Inland nuclear reactor construction will get approved. The 2020 target was 58 GW but now China’s nuclear firms say they will exceed that target. Nuclear industry experts believe China could hit 70-80GW of operating nuclear power in 2020.
China needs more nuclear power so that there can be less pollution from coal power. China has a massive pollution problem in the cities.
Also, China will max out hydro power construction in 2020-2025 with about 1500-2000 TWh of hydro power.
China will ultimately not be able to rely on coal power as the cheap coal will run out.
China will be adding 80% more power to its electrical grid by 2020. They are at about 130% of US electrical power now. China will add the equivalent of all of the electrical power generation in the USA by 2020. China will likely add at least double the US electrical power generation by 2030.
China electrical power 2014 5600 TWh 2020 8000-10000 TWh 2030 15000-20000 TWh
China is set to beat its 2020 targets for nuclear power, the chairman of the country’s top nuclear firm told Reuters, after getting back on track with projects that had been halted after Japan’s Fukushima disaster.
China will surpass its goal of having 58 gigawatts (GW) of installed nuclear power capacity by the end of the decade, said Sun Qin, chairman of China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), adding that the country may build 20 or more nuclear reactors in the next six years.
In 2013, non-fossil fuel accounted for nearly 10 percent of China’s primary energy consumption.
CNNC, which has listed its uranium resources arm CNNC International Ltd (2302.HK) in Hong Kong, is also preparing to raise as much as $3 billion for its expansion plans through an initial public offer in Shanghai, as other media has reported.
“The amount of money raised will depend on market conditions,” said Sun. “I hope it can be done this year.”
China’s premier Li Keqiang said last week that China will start construction of a number of hydropower and nuclear power projects in his first government work report delivered to the annual meeting of the country’s mostly rubber-stamp parliament.
China now gets less than 2 percent of its electricity from 17 nuclear reactors.
Thirty-one additional units are under construction, including a pair of AP1000 reactors located at Sanmen in Zhejiang province.
CNNC has also relaunched preparation on inland projects, which were halted following Japan’s Fukushima disaster and that will still need another two or three years before the government will grant approvals for them, according to Sun.
China is expected to approve 4 to 6 nuclear power units during the current five-year plan ended in 2015, followed by 6 to 8 units per year in the 2015-2020 plan.
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.