The World Nuclear Association (WNA) recently reported that a new reactor in China (at the Ningde nuclear power station in Fujian province) has started supplying power to the grid, 58 months after construction start. The Ningde power station will ultimately have six reactors, four of which will come on line to 2015.
This brings the number of operating reactors in China up to 16, with a further 29 under construction, 52 planned and 120 proposed. There are a couple of important points worth bearing in mind when you consider China’s energy plans.
Firstly, the Chinese don't have elections which means, unlike Japan, Korea or Germany for example, China’s energy strategy is based on common sense while other governments must temper the need to secure the right energy mix with the need to get reelected.
The second is that China is by no means the only country aggressively adding nuclear to its energy mix but, as these impressive figures show, it’s the bell weather for the nuclear energy industry and right now the forecast is most definitely growth.
Dev Randhawa
