POLICY & MARKETS | CHINA’S RISE
China’s step onto the global stage
With China set to soon reach the top of the nuclear generation rankings and a
clear policy of developing indigenous nuclear technology, the competitive nuclear market may see another powerhouse emerge onto the global nuclear export stage.
By Mainbayar Badarch
THE TOTAL SCALE OF CHINA’S nuclear power ambitions look likely to see the country soon rise to the top of world’s nuclear power rankings for the first time, overtaking long- term incumbent the USA. As of mid-2025, China had 58 commercial nuclear power units operating with an installed capacity of more than 60.7 GW, and a further 44 units reportedly under construction with an installed capacity of 52.4 GW. According to the ‘14th Five-Year Plan for a Modern
Energy System’ and the ‘China Nuclear Energy Development Report 2025’, China’s total installed capacity target for nuclear power is to reach 150 GW in 2035, and the nuclear share of power generation is expected to increase to about 10%.
In terms of nuclear power equipment manufacturing,
China has now achieved 100% localisation of key nuclear power equipment and independent control of all the key component technologies. In 2024, a total of 114 sets of domestic nuclear power equipment were delivered, doubling the number seen in 2023. Wang Yiren, Former Vice Chairman of the China Atomic
Energy Authority (CAEA), in the late April 2025 Spring International Forum on Sustainable Nuclear Energy Development held in Beijing, suggested the nation should adhere to a three-step nuclear development strategy of
“thermal reactor-fast reactor-fusion reactor” and also establish major national science and technology projects around integrated closed-cycle fast reactor nuclear energy systems and small modular reactors (SMRs). Initially, China implemented a strategy of prioritising
technology development for the domestic market first, then entering export markets. As of today, the country has exported a total of seven nuclear power units. As the only Chinese enterprise to export its nuclear power technology, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has sent seven nuclear power units, eight research reactors, and subcritical facilities to seven countries. In particular, CNNC has exported seven nuclear power
units to Pakistan, with a gross installed capacity of 4.63 GW. It includes Chasma Nuclear Power Plant – CNP-300 units (C- 1, C-2, C-3, and C-4 became operational in 2000-2017); Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (K-2 and K-3 became operational in 2021-2023); and Chasma Unit-5 (C-5) which is under construction. For research reactors, CNNC and its subsidiary China Zhongyuan Engineering Corp (CZEC) performed upgrades/renovation for the Chinese-supplied heavy-water research reactor – Es-Salam in Birine, Algeria in 2014-2019. In June 2017, CNNC completed the export of LEU-MNSR fuel to Ghana. Nigeria also operates a Chinese Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) commissioned in 2004.
Above: Unit 1 at the Haiyang nuclear power plant in Shandong, China Source: SPIC 26 | November 2025 |
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