A photo of the No.2 Unit of Zhangzhou nuclear power plant, located at the world's largest Hualong-1 base in East China's Fujian Province Photo：CMG

China's total installed nuclear power capacity has reached 125 million kilowatts(KW), ranking first globally, according to a CCTV News report, citing a blue book released by the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) on Friday.

The report shows China currently operates 60 commercial nuclear reactorss and has another 36 under construction — representing over half of global nuclear construction. An additional 16 units have been approved and await construction, according to CCTV News.

This year, China has broken ground on two new units and expects to bring seven units online, maintaining its position as the world's largest nuclear power builder, the report said.

The development of nuclear power constitutes an important component of China's nuclear energy sector. Under its medium- and long-term development objectives, China aims to build a strong nuclear power country by 2030, said the State Council Information Office, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Notably, the blue book said that China's domestically developed third-generation nuclear power plant, the Hualong One, has entered a new stage of mass construction. The latest data showed that there are over 40 Hualong One units in operation or under construction both domestically and internationally, making it the third-generation nuclear power model with the most commercial deployments globally, according to CCTV News.

These achievements are supported by breakthroughs in independent technology and a mature domestic industrial chain, marking a crucial step in the country's energy transformation, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday.

The15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) is a crucial period for China to lay a solid foundation and fully strive to essentially achieve socialist modernization, and also an important strategic opportunity period for nuclear energy development. It is projected that China's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 200 million KW by 2040, said Yang Changli, rotating chairman of the CNEA, chinanews.com.cn reported.

Technological innovation is key to the resilience of the nuclear energy industry. The industry blue book points out that major nuclear power countries are accelerating the development and deployment of advanced nuclear energy, increasing research and development investment in areas such as small modular reactors, fourth-generation advanced reactors, closed-cycle nuclear fuel, and controlled nuclear fusion, and promoting the deep integration of common technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and advanced materials into nuclear technology innovation. 

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will continuously improve the efficiency of the innovation system, advance key technology breakthroughs, strengthen basic research efforts, and accelerate the realization of high-level self-reliance in nuclear science and technology, it added.

Global Times