28 Jan (NucNet): China’s fleet of commercial nuclear power plants generated 294 TWh of electrical energy in 2018, a 18.6% increase over 2017, according to figures from the Chinese Federation of Electric Power Enterprises.
Nuclear power plants accounted for 4.2% of total electricity production in China in 2018, the federation said. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the figure was 3.94% for 2017.
Seven new units began commercial operation in China in 2018. They were: Haiyang-1, Sanmen-1, Sanmen-2, Taishan-1, Tianwan-3, Tianwan-4 and Yangjiang-5.
According to the IAEA, China has 46 operational commercial nuclear units and 11 under construction.
China is officially aiming for 58 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2020 – up from almost 36 GW today – but the country’s nuclear sector faces a number of challenges and this target is likely to be missed, the Shanghai-based energy research group Nicobar said.
Nicobar said the 58 GW will probably be reached in 2021 or 2022. Looking further ahead, China’s goal is to have 110 nuclear units in commercial operation by 2030, but this target is likely to be adjusted in the next Five-Year Plan, the first draft of which will appear this year.
