China Will Build, Build, Build Nuclear Power Plants

Nov. 4, 2021 (EIRNS)—A Bloomberg report on Nov. 2 pulled together the extraordinary surge in domestic nuclear power construction planned by China over the next 15 years. The information itself is not entirely new: “Over the past year, China has revealed the extensive scope of its plans for nuclear, an ambition with new resonance given the global energy crisis and the calls for action coming out of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. The world’s biggest emitter, China’s planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35.” The new power capacity it aims at is about 200 GW, according to China General Nuclear Power Chairman He Yu. That would quintuple nuclear capacity in China and add about 10% to total electric power capacity. It is enough to power a dozen very large cities.

Bloomberg estimates the investment involved at about $440 billion. To equal this 200 GW nuclear in performance (at best) would require 150,000 very large wind turbines, taking up the size of a very large city.