China Restarts Nuclear Power Build Up

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 03/12/15

Coco Liu reports that the first two new nuclear reactors since the meltdowns at Fukushima received approval in China. Experts say the approval of new nuclear reactors is critical for China to achieve its target of installing 58 gigawatts of nuclear power China yesterday approved the construction of two new nuclear reactors, giving a long awaited go-ahead to Chinese nuclear developers. The country halted its rapid nuclear power expansion in 2011, when Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex experienced meltdowns after a deadly tsunami. While Chinese officials allowed several already approved nuclear projects to complete their construction after passing safety reviews, they did not approve starting new projects until yesterday. State-owned China General Nuclear Power Group, formerly known as China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, gained the first approval. In a statement released through the Hong Kong stock exchange, China General Nuclear Power Group said that the two newly approved reactors will be at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant. The company already has two operating reactors as well as two others under construction at the same site, which is about 70 miles north of Dalian, a major coastal city in northern China. The brief statement gave no details of which companies would supply equipment for the new reactors nor did it give any timetable for the project construction. But it did note that the preparation work is already underway and the developer is waiting for a final nod from Chinese nuclear safety regulators before starting the construction. Experts say the approval of new nuclear reactors is critical for China to achieve its target of installing 58 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2020. Currently, the country has 22 nuclear reactors in operation, with a total capacity of 20 GW. So far, all the nuclear power plants in China are located along the coast.