11 Mar (NucNet): China should start building eight new nuclear power plants a year before 2030 in a bid to make the sector profitable and sustainable, state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has told the government, according to a report by Shanghai-based energy consultancy Nicobar.
Nicobar said China’s nuclear market is maturing and the government needs to speed up its approval of new nuclear plants to enable construction of the indigenous Hualong One or HPR1000, a Chinese pressurised water nuclear reactor design developed by CNNC and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGNP).
There are four Hualong One units under construction in China at Fuqing-5, Fuqing-6, Fangchenggang-3 and Fangchenggang-4. There are also two Hualong One units under construction at Kanupp in Pakistan, with units planned for Argentina and the UK.
Last month Nicobar reported that CGNP had received approval for two Hualong Ones at its Huizhou Taipingling site in Guangdong province, southern China.
Last year CNNC said it was capable of building more than 10 new nuclear power units a year and “multiple” new sites were fully prepared for construction.
The company gave no further details of the new sites, but the country hasd ambitious nuclear plans with an official target of 58 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2020, up from almost 36 GW produced by 46 operational reactor units today.
According to Nicobar, 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.
