- The total cost is estimated at 31 billion US dollars
- China is a world leader in the construction of new nuclear reactors
(Nucnet) (WNN) China approved 11 nuclear reactors at five sites on August 19. The total investment is 27.9 billion euros (31 billion US dollars), with the average cost per reactor being less than 3 billion US dollars. All reactors have a nominal capacity of at least 1,000 MW. Construction of all reactors is expected to be completed in about five years.
This is what the new Bailong power plant could look like if six reactors are ultimately built there
(Image: SPIC) via World Nuclear News
State news agencies reported that the number of permits granted reached a record high in a year as the government increased its reliance on nuclear power in its efforts to reduce emissions.
China’s ability to achieve these milestones is supported by mature supply chains and an experienced workforce. Unlike in Western democracies, the government does not rely on public consensus to set the policy and budget needed to build a fleet of dozens of full-scale nuclear reactors. Moreover, all financing for the plants is provided by the government.
China Energy News reported that China’s state cabinet, the State Council, approved new reactors in the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang.
CGN Power Company (CGN), the listed subsidiary of state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corporation, announced in an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had received permits for six reactors at three locations.
The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced via WeChat that it had received the green light to build three reactors.
The State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) announced that it had received approval for two plants.
China’s latest reactor approvals
Guangdong, South China CGN will build two reactors as Units 1 and 2 of the Lufeng Nuclear Power Plant. They will be CAP1000 units. It is a coastal site about 25 km southeast of the Chinese city of Lufeng. (Map: 22°45′N 115°48′E)
The CAP1000 is China’s adaptation of the Westinghouse AP1000, a 1,150 MW pressurized water reactor. Westinghouse built four AP1000s in China.
Shandong, Northeast China CGN will build two Hualong One reactors as Units 1 and 2 of Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Plant, a coastal site in Zhangxing, Zhaoyuan City, Yantai, Shandong, China. (Map 37°29’13.6″N 120°20’43.1″E)
Zhejiang, East China CGN will build two Hualong Ones as Units 3 and 4 of the San’ao Nuclear Power Plant, which is also located on the coast. (Map 27.202°N 120.513°E)
Hualong One is a 1,100 MW pressurized water reactor based on a domestic design. It has a core of 177 modules and an 18-month fuel change cycle. China has earmarked the design for export but has so far ordered only two units from Pakistan.
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, South China The State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has received approval to build two CAP1000 pressurized water reactors as the first phase of the Bailong Nuclear Power Plant, also located on the coast. (Map 21°32’25.8″N 108°17’38.0″E)
An investment of around 5.6 billion US dollars is planned for the two plants. Construction is expected to take 56 months. The company pointed out that this is the first nuclear power plant developed by SPIC in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
In later phases, four CAP1400 reactors will also be built at the site. The CAP1400 is a Chinese adaptation of the Westinghouse AP1000 with improved nominal power and corresponding equipment.
Combined heat and power in Xuwei New District, Lianyungang City
WNN reported that the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said Phase I of its Xuwei Nuclear Power Plant “will be the world’s first to couple a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a pressurized water reactor.” The HTGR will supply steam to a nearby petrochemical plant.
China’s current HTGR design includes two MW pebble bed reactors driving a single turbine with a total capacity of 210 MWe. However, each HTGR has a thermal capacity of 250 MWt, making it ideal for providing process heat for industrial plants.
The project is jointly implemented by CNNC subsidiary Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company and the Lianyungang Petrochemical Industry Base in Xuwei New District of Lianyungang City.
In addition to electricity, the power plant will primarily generate industrial heat. The project envisages the construction of two Hualong One pressurized water reactors and a gas-cooled high-temperature reactor (HTGR). The project will be equipped with a steam heat exchanger station that will use the heat-to-electricity operating mode for the first time.
The desalinated water is heated by the primary steam of the Hualong One units to produce saturated steam, and the primary steam of the gas-cooled high-temperature reactor is used to heat the saturated steam a second time.
“Once completed, it will have both high-quality steam supply and power generation capabilities under the designed operating conditions,” CNNC said.
“After the project is completed and put into operation, it will supply 32.5 million tons of industrial steam annually and achieve a maximum power generation of more than 11.5 billion kilowatt hours, reducing the use of conventional coal by 7.26 million tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 19.6 million tons per year.”
CNNC also received approval for two Hualong One plants in Xuwei. The Xuwei nuclear power plant will be built near the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant on the coast of the Yellow Sea, about 30 kilometers east of downtown Lianyungang in China’s Jiangsu province.
The power plant is owned by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture with a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), of which it is the majority owner. The power plant is home to four Russian 1000 MW VPPs and two new 1200 MW VPPs are currently under construction.
Background: China’s ambitious nuclear plans
There are 56 commercial reactors in operation in China. Data from British energy think tank Ember shows that coal-fired power plants generated 59.6 percent of China’s total electricity production in the first half of 2024. This is the first time since records began that coal generated less than 60 percent of the country’s total electricity during this period.
According to the China Nuclear Energy Association, nuclear energy is expected to contribute around 10 percent of the country’s electricity generation by 2035 and 18 percent by 2060, with total generation capacity reaching 400 gigawatts by 2060.
No permit for nuclear power plants in Germany
According to the World Nuclear Association, China has preliminary approvals for 31 new reactors inland, but no construction has started yet. All of them would be greenfield sites on major rivers.
The first construction starts are expected to be in Taohuajiang in Hunan, Pengze in Jiangxi and Dafan in Hubei. The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has been added with a possible start of construction for 2 GWe. However, no approval has been granted for the construction of domestic power plants.
Reasons for the delays appear to be a combination of disagreements between the provincial and central governments over economic development priorities and local concerns about pollution of rivers at the reactor sites.
Another problem is that supplying some sites with large components with long lead times, such as reactor pressure vessels, steam systems and turbines, would be difficult due to the lack of suitable roads and railway lines.
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