Russia Backs China In Bid To Overtake US For Nuclear Capacity

Beijing has fastest reactor growth rate with Washington struggling to deploy new units

Russia Backs China In Bid To Overtake US For Nuclear Capacity
The four existing Russian nuclear units in China are at the Tianwan nuclear power station. Courtesy CNNC.

Moscow will help China meet its ambitious plans for nuclear deployment and overtake the US in installed nuclear power capacity, the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said

“China has grandiose plans for the development of nuclear energy. The goal is to catch up and surpass the US in installed capacity, which means reaching a capacity of more than 100 gigawatts,” Alexey Likhachev told state television network Rossiya-1.

He said Russia had already helped build four reactors in China and is building four more, adding that cooperation in the nuclear field “can be predicted for a century ahead”.

The four existing Russian nuclear units in China are at the Tianwan nuclear power station in eastern China. Construction of two more Russian units, Tianwan-7 and Tianwan-8, began at the same site in 2021. There are also two Russian units under construction at Xudapu in the northeast of the country.

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