China boasts the world’s largest nuclear power capacity under construction as it strives to reduce pollution from coal-burning generators, an official said yesterday.
The approved nuclear power projects that are currently under construction will be able to provide 32.03 million kilowatts of energy, said Nur Bekri, head of the National Energy Administration. In 2015, projects worth 8.2 million kilowatts were put into operation and projects set to generate 8.8 million kilowatts were approved for construction, he added.
China currently has a 25.5 million kilowatt operating capacity. According to a Xinhua report, the country aims to raise the total installed nuclear power to 58 million kilowatts by 2020, as per an energy development action plan released by the State Council in 2014.
China saw rapid nuclear power growth in recent years, but suspended approval of new programs after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
The country restarted nuclear power plant construction in 2014 in a bid to increase clean energy production and consumption.
“China will promote the development of nuclear power in a secure and efficient way,” said the Communist Party of China Central Committee in its proposals for the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020). Xinhua
World’s largest nuclear power capacity under construction
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Why report in “million kilowatts”? The whole point of SI is to avoid cumbersome wording like that for the much simpler “gigawatts”. That and the 4 significant digits are also kind of silly. Just say “32 Gigawatts”. Anyone looking at power generation numbers wants to see GW anyway.