24 Apr (NucNet): China is fast-tracking the development of Generation III and III+ nuclear power plants, a situation that reflects the “sheer size” of state players that have abundant capital and the ability to absorb risks, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said in a report published on 23 April 2018.
But because core nuclear technologies such as turbines, electricity generators and primary pumps are still in the hands of foreign rivals, domestic companies should scale up efforts to produce major nuclear components.
“China is the fastest-expanding nuclear power generator in the world, underscoring the huge potential of the country's nuclear sector at a time when traditional giants like the US are retreating,” Lin Boqiang, director of the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.
“China has an incomparable advantage in developing nuclear power — the sheer size of state-owned nuclear enterprises, which have long-term stability and rich financing sources to support research and development spending,” Mr Lin said. “They are also not as vulnerable to market risks as their private counterparts.”
However, domestic companies still lack the ability to manufacture core parts, Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy industry website china5e.com, told the Global Times.
For example, the turbines and electricity generators for most reactors in China are imported from foreign rivals like France's EDF Group or Germany-based Siemens. Domestic nuclear power plants still use the main pumps and control systems made by US manufacturers.
China has 18 nuclear power plants under construction, more than any other country, and 39 in commercial operation with installed capacity of 35.8 GW, ranking number four after the US, France and Russia.
