Nuclear power in China: a powerful dynamic

China, the world’s most populous country with almost 1.4 billion inhabitants, has immense and constantly growing energy needs. Above all, they are essentially met by fossil fuels. China’s electricity mix is still dominated by fossil fuels (71%), mainly coal (67%) and natural gas (4%). However, China is striving to reduce its coal consumption by investing in decarbonized energies, notably hydropower (19%), wind power (5%) and nuclear power (4%). The aim is to increase the share of decarbonized energies to 50% by 2030.

To meet this demand while respecting its climate commitments, China has invested massively in renewable energies and nuclear power plants. Since 2000, China has increased the number of nuclear power plants in operation by a factor of 10, and has become a major international player in the nuclear industry.

The deployment of nuclear power in China

The development of nuclear power in China began in the middle of the 20th century, against a backdrop of Cold War and international tensions. The early years of China’s nuclear program, between 1950 and 1958, were marked by close cooperation with the USSR. This period saw the creation of the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a chemical separation plant for the production of U-235 and plutonium, as well as the founding of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) in 1955.

From 1959 onwards, the USSR withdrew its nuclear aid to China, causing a rupture in relations between the two countries. Despite this setback, China strove to become self-sufficient in the development of nuclear power. Between 1959 and 1963, the country invested heavily in research and built over 40 chemical separation plants to extract uranium and thorium. This period also saw the construction of a 300 MW reactor and a gaseous diffusion plant in Lanzhou.

Chinese nuclear development slowed down from 1964, mainly due to the Cultural Revolution. Nevertheless, China launched its first nuclear power plan in 1970, ushering in a new era for the sector. In 1984, China’s first independently designed and built nuclear power plant, the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, was built and commissioned in 1991.

Since then, China has continued to develop its nuclear sector, adopting successive five-year plans focused on energy security, diversifying the energy mix and improving energy efficiency. The Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 led China to reassess its objectives and adopt new safety standards for its nuclear power plants. In 2019, the country set itself an ambitious new target: to reach 200 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2035. At the end of 2020, China already had 49 nuclear reactors in operation, with an installed capacity of 51 GWe, ranking third worldwide in terms of installed capacity and second in terms of electricity generation.

The “Dragon Rising 2020” program is an initiative of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to promote technological innovation in the nuclear sector. It comprises eight demonstration projects for technical innovations and 12 research and development projects, covering fields such as new-generation reactors, nuclear waste management and nuclear safety.

Reactor technologies in China

Chinese nuclear reactors have undergone several developments over the years. China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC) CNP and ACP series are the predecessors of today’s Hualong One design. The CNP series of second-generation reactors began with the CNP-300 pressurized water reactor, the first reactor designed in China. The Qinshan nuclear power plant, commissioned in 1991, is equipped with this reactor.

The CPR-1000, developed by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), is based on a French design and is the most widespread reactor type in China, with 22 units in operation. The ACPR-1000 is an evolution of the CPR-1000 to reach Generation III level, but the Hualong One has replaced this design for export.

The Hualong One is a joint venture between CNNC and CGN, based on the ACP1000 and ACPR1000 designs. It has a power output of 1170 MWe gross, 1090 MWe net, a service life of 60 years and uses passive and active safety systems with a double enclosure. The Hualong One is now considered the replacement for all previous Chinese designs and has been exported abroad.

The Hualong Two is scheduled for construction from 2024, offering a more economical version of the Hualong One, reducing construction time and costs.

China has also built AP1000 reactors from Westinghouse, EPR reactors from Areva, CANDU reactors from AECL and VVER reactors from Atomstroyexport. Generation IV reactors, such as the HTR-PM (a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor) and the CFR-600 (a sodium-cooled fast reactor), are currently under development.

Finally, the ACP100 Small Modular Reactor (SMR), also known as Linglong One, is a project currently under construction alongside the Changjiang nuclear power plant. This reactor incorporates passive safety features and can be installed underground.

Chinese nuclear reactors

Connected reactors

Reactors under construction

Countries producing nuclear power

• Civil nuclear power in China, https://www.cairn.info/revue-green-2021-1-page-86.htm
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_centrales_nucléaires_en_Chine#Modèles_de_réacteurs