China is building half of the world’s new nuclear power despite inland plants pause

China is expanding its nuclear power capacity faster than any other country in the 21st century, with nearly half of the world's nuclear power under construction located there. While China's operational capacity of 58.1 GW currently ranks third globally, its prospective capacity of 118 GW positions it to potentially overtake France and the United States. The buildout is shifting toward Generation III and IV reactors, including the domestically developed Hualong One and the first commercial Generation IV unit, the HTR-PM. However, a moratorium on inland plants following the 2011 Fukushima disaster has led to the cancellation of 201 GW of capacity, though some sites have been repurposed for wind and solar energy.

• China is currently building nearly half of the world's nuclear power capacity and has the fastest rate of nuclear power capacity expansion of any country in the 21st century.
• As of early Q3 2024, China's operational nuclear capacity is 58.1 GW, ranking it third globally behind the United States (102.5 GW) and France (64.0 GW).
• China has 118 GW of prospective nuclear capacity (announced, pre-construction, and under construction), which is more than the prospective capacity of the second through eighth place countries combined.
• The Chinese government's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) targets a total operational fleet of 70 GW by 2025; current data suggests China may reach 63 GW by the end of 2025 and 71 GW by 2026.
• China is transitioning from Generation II reactors to Generation III and IV technologies, including the domestic Hualong One (HPR1000) and the HTR-PM, the world's first commercial Generation IV nuclear unit which entered operation in December 2023.
• A moratorium on inland nuclear plants imposed after the 2011 Fukushima disaster has resulted in 185 cancelled units with a combined capacity of 201 GW, a figure larger than the total operational U.S. fleet.
• Some cancelled inland nuclear sites have been repurposed for renewables; for example, the Jiangxi Pengze facility owner developed a solar farm in 2020 and a wind farm in 2021.

APA

Global Energy Monitor (2024). China is building half of the world’s new nuclear power despite inland plants pause. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Nuclear-brief-August2024_14.pdf

Chicago

Global Energy Monitor. China is building half of the world’s new nuclear power despite inland plants pause. 2024. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Nuclear-brief-August2024_14.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Energy Monitor |title=China is building half of the world’s new nuclear power despite inland plants pause |date=August 2024 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Nuclear-brief-August2024_14.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalenergymonitor2024china, author = {{Global Energy Monitor}}, title = {{China is building half of the world’s new nuclear power despite inland plants pause}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Nuclear-brief-August2024_14.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }