China approves record 5 major nuclear power projects, speeding green transition

China's State Council, the country's cabinet, on Monday greenlighted five new nuclear power projects, a record, as the country is revving up nuclear power construction as part of its transition to green and low-carbon energy, analysts said.

The newly approved five nuclear power projects included 11 nuclear power units, which utilize a mix of China's self-developed third- and fourth-generation nuclear technologies, with total investment expected to surpass 240 billion yuan ($33.3 billion), according to media reports on Tuesday, citing officials from the National Energy Administration (NEA).

These new reactors will be located in coastal provinces including East China's Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces, and South China's Guangdong Province, and South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, per the China Energy News Network under the NEA.

One key project is the nuclear energy heating power plant in Xuwei, Jiangsu Province, the world's first to combine high-temperature gas-cooled reactors with pressurized water reactors. It will provide low-carbon industrial steam to the Lianyungang petrochemical base and advance the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries, operator China National Nuclear Corp said.

With groundbreaking scheduled in 2025, the first phase of the project is set to produce 32.5 million tons of industrial steam annually and generate more than 11.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, cutting coal consumption by 7.26 million tons and slashing carbon dioxide emissions by 19.6 million tons, according to the company.

With soaring electricity demand, China is steadily boosting the use of green energy, including nuclear power, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, said, noting that "hydropower and nuclear power remain crucial for supporting the low-carbon transition due to the insufficient scale of other renewables."

Despite being a global frontrunner in nuclear power construction, China's support for nuclear energy remains rational and cautious, prioritizing safety, Lin said.