On April 15th, the China Nuclear Energy Industry Association released the "China Nuclear Energy Development Report (2024)" blue paper, summarizing and analyzing the current development status of China's nuclear energy industry in terms of nuclear power operation, engineering construction, and technological innovation.
According to the blue paper, in 2023, China steadily advanced the construction of nuclear power projects, with 5 new nuclear power units starting construction throughout the year. The total investment in nuclear power project construction reached 94.9 billion yuan, hitting nearly a five-year high. By the end of 2023, China had 26 nuclear power units under construction, with a total installed capacity of 30.3 gigawatts, ranking first globally.
Currently, the nuclear power industry in China is developing steadily with safety and order. In 2023, China's operational nuclear power units continued to operate safely and stably, with a total of 55 units and a rated installed capacity of 57.03 gigawatts, ranking third globally. The average utilization hours of nuclear power equipment throughout the year reached 7,661 hours, with a nuclear power generation of 433.4 billion kilowatt-hours, ranking second globally and accounting for 4.86% of the country's total cumulative power generation. The annual equivalent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is about 340 million tons, with Fujian, Liaoning, and Hainan provinces accounting for over 20% of nuclear power generation each, at 27.3%, 23.4%, and 22.7%, respectively.
Moreover, China's nuclear power safety operation continues to maintain an internationally advanced level. The blue paper shows that in 2023, a total of 33 units in China reached the highest score in the World Association of Nuclear Operators' comprehensive index, placing China at the forefront in terms of both the proportion of units with the highest score and the average value of the comprehensive index.
China's nuclear energy industry chain and supply chain capabilities are also continuously improving. Significant progress has been made in uranium exploration efforts, with 950,000 meters of drilling work invested in 2023, resulting in a substantial increase in newly added resources, reaching 2.5 times the planned target. The nuclear power equipment manufacturing industry chain is continuously improving and stabilizing, with a total of 54 sets of domestic nuclear power main equipment delivered in 2023, maintaining a high level.
The blue paper also indicates that China's nuclear energy technological innovation has entered a new stage. The demonstration project of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, a national major science and technology project, was put into commercial operation by the end of 2023, and the construction of the "Guonuclear-1" demonstration project steadily progressed. The "Hualong One" steady advancement and spectrumization development aims to continuously enhance safety, economy, and advancement during mass construction, by increasing research and development efforts, optimizing design schemes and configurations, improving equipment localization rates, and promoting technological iteration and upgrading.
