China has approved expansion projects at three nuclear power plants, according to a statement from the State Council released on Monday.

Edit: changed source from carbonbrief to reuters for a known news source Edit: format and spelling

Nuclear power generation has a considerably smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuel plants, but can dispatch power more consistently and reliably than weather-dependent renewable sources such as wind or solar. Source post: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-approves-expansions-three-nuclear-power-plants-2023-08-01/

Other article with more information on China and nuclear power:

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China began building its first nuclear plant in 1985. The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) estimates that it will have the world’s largest nuclear fleet by 2030.

For now, China is now the world’s second largest nuclear energy producer behind the US, having overtaken France in 2020. By the end of June 2023, China had an installed capacity of 57 gigawatts (GW), according to official data.

China remains behind the 96GW installed in the US – for now. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says China is the “world’s fastest expanding nuclear power producer”.

(The International Energy Agency estimates that electricity from nuclear power costs $65 per megawatt hour (MWh) compared with $105/MWh in the US and $140/MWh in the EU.)

Zhi agrees with this assessment. Coal power is getting increasingly expensive, “especially due to carbon pricing and other environmental fees”, he says.

He wrote that the “guaranteed tariff paid to producers for nuclear power…has been higher than the rate for either coal-fired or hydroelectric power”. He also quoted a Chinese nuclear industry executive, who said in 2015: “We watch this carefully…if the government were to take this away from us, the future of our business would be in a lot of trouble.”

The WNA points out that safety questions have slowed China’s nuclear ambitions. Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, China temporarily suspended approvals of new power plants, to review concerns over safety and river pollution, according to Andrews-Speed.

  • queermunist she/her
    7•11 months ago

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says China is the “world’s fastest expanding nuclear power producer”.

    i.e. the only country taking the limits of fossil fuels seriously.

    • @cnnrduncan@beehaw.org
      10•11 months ago

      Eh nuclear doesn’t make sense everywhere - my country doesn’t have any nuclear reactors but most of our power generation is free from fossil fuels as we primarily use hydro, geothermal, and a bit of wind!

    • jimmydoreisaleftyOP
      1•11 months ago

      It does look like it, but remember they also have power outage problems due to not having enough storage of energy, according to this article.

      Not sure how credible it is, due to it being Greenpeace…

      https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/china-pumps-out-coal-plants-at-increasing-pace-to-allay-power-security-fears-risking-climate-transition-greenpeace/ar-AA1eLmmJ

      China’s central economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, released a five-year plan in March, aiming to develop energy-storage capacity to boost renewable power consumption. In the first half of 2023, new energy storage could drive direct investment of 30 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion), according to data released by China’s National Energy Administration.

      “Energy storage is a top concern for China,” said Greenpeace’s Gao. “It’s not just about building up a new power supply. It’s about designing a system that will meet electricity demand.”