China has approved 11 new nuclear reactors across five locations this week, as part of ongoing efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The official green light was given on Monday at a State Council meeting, which granted China National Nuclear Power permission to build three reactors. State Power Investment Corp has been authorised to construct two.
CGN Power Co – a listed subsidiary of the state company China General Nuclear Power Corp – announced in a press release sent to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it has received approval for six reactors at three sites.
The new reactors will be installed in the coastal provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang, in the manufacturing province of Guangdong and neighbouring Guangxi, according to the specialist state media China Energy News.
Chinese financial media outlet Jiemian reported that the total investment for the 11 reactors should exceed CNY 220 billion (€28.53 billion) and their construction will take roughly five years.
China currently has 56 reactors in operation, according to the World Nuclear Association (WNA). The US, with 94, has the most nuclear world capacity. However, China leads in terms of the number of reactors under construction.
China is also the top emitter of greenhouse gases. The country committed to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and then achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, but recent approvals for coal-fired power plants question its ability to meet these objectives.
