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
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.
Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.
Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.
"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.
The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.
Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar
