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

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes China's rapid expansion of nuclear power capacity, noting that China is building nearly half of the world's new nuclear power. While the country is positioned to become the world's second-largest nuclear fleet, overtaking France, its progress is tempered by a long-standing moratorium on inland nuclear plants and a massive volume of cancelled projects.

• China is expanding its nuclear power capacity faster than any other country in the 21st century and currently hosts nearly half of the world's nuclear power under construction. Its operational capacity stood at 58.1 GW as of early Q3 2024, placing it third globally behind the United States (102.5 GW) and France (64.0 GW).
• China has significant prospective nuclear ambitions with 118 GW of prospective capacity, which exceeds the combined prospective capacity of the second through eighth place countries. The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) targets a total operational fleet of 70 GW by 2025; however, current data suggests China may reach approximately 63 GW by the end of 2025 and 71 GW by 2026.
• Despite its growth, nuclear power represents a small fraction of China's total electricity generation compared to other leaders. In 2023, nuclear generation accounted for only 5% of China's total generation (435 TWh of 9,462 TWh), whereas it accounted for 65% of France's total generation and just over 18% of the United States' total generation.
• China is transitioning toward newer reactor technologies. While its fleet is still majority Generation II, it is deploying Generation III reactors, including the U.S.-designed AP1000 and its own Hualong One (HPR1000). In December 2023, China began commercial operation of the world's first Generation IV nuclear unit, the HTR-PM, at the Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay nuclear power plant.
• A moratorium on inland nuclear plants imposed after the 2011 Fukushima disaster has led to the cancellation of 185 inland nuclear units in China, totaling 201 GW of cancelled capacity. This volume of cancelled capacity is larger than the entire operational U.S. fleet. The moratorium is based on safety and environmental concerns, specifically the reliance on rivers or lakes for cooling water.
• China's nuclear expansion is part of a broader strategy to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. However, the need for nuclear may be reduced by China's massive investment in renewables; the country holds about two-thirds of the world's utility-scale solar and wind power under construction.

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} }