China's total nuclear power generation capacity, with 102 units in operation, under construction, and officially approved, and an installed capacity of 113 million kilowatts, has topped global rankings for the first time, according to the China Nuclear Energy Development Report 2025 released by the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) on Sunday.
China currently has 28 nuclear power units under construction, with an installed capacity of 33.65 million kilowatts, a capacity that has held the top spot globally for 18 consecutive years. A total of 58 commercial units are in operation across China, with 60.96 million kilowatts installed capacity, CNEA's report says.
In 2024, China's nuclear power plants generated 444.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 4.72 percent of the nation's total output and ranking second globally for nuclear power generation. They helped reduce coal consumption by 127 million tons and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 334 million tons, according to the report.
Notably, China has now fully domesticated production of key nuclear power equipment and gained full control over the technology for critical components of nuclear power plants, the report notes.
"(In 2024) the first reactor of the CAP1400 demonstration project, one of China's major special projects, was completed and put into operation. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) demonstration project is operating steadily after entering commercial use. The research and development of key technologies for nuclear energy systems based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle with fast reactors is also progressing in an orderly way. In addition, the ACP100 project is also expected to be completed and put into operation in 2026," said Cao Shudong, executive vice chairman of CNEA.
China's total nuclear power generation capacity tops world rankings
China's total nuclear power generation capacity tops world rankings
China's total nuclear power generation capacity tops world rankings
