China approved 11 nuclear reactors across five sites on Monday (19 August), with reports putting the total investment at 220 billion yuan (€27.9bn, $31bn) and construction taking about five years.
State-run news outlets said the number of permits issued was a record number in one year as the government leans even more heavily on nuclear energy to support its push to cut emissions.
China’s national cabinet, the State Council, approved new reactors in the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Guangxi, state-run China Energy News reported.
According to the latest International Atomic Energy Agency data, China has 27 commercial nuclear plants under construction – more than any other nation. It approved 10 new reactors in each of the last two years.
The country is expected to surpass France and the US to be the world’s leading generator of nuclear energy by 2030.
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