Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share The Nuclear Dragon: Inside China’s Unprecedented 39-Reactor Surge
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
The Nuclear Dragon: Inside China’s Unprecedented 39-Reactor Surge
1. The Unprecedented Scale of the Expansion
The Global Leader in Construction: China is currently operating 62 reactors and constructing an additional 39+ units, totaling approximately 37.3 GWe.
The 110 GWe Target: Under the 15th Five-Year Plan, China is targeting 110 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2030, with an ultimate aspirational policy goal of 200 GW by 2035. If met, nuclear power could contribute roughly 10% of national generation, up from 4.5% today.
The Approval Pipeline: Inside the State Council’s April 2025 approval of 10 new reactors across 5 sites (Fangchenggang, Haiyang, Sanmen, Taishan, and Xiapu), representing an investment of ¥200 billion ($27 billion) and marking the fourth consecutive year of 10+ reactor approvals.
2. Engineering Marvels: Mid-June 2026 Milestones
Lianjiang Unit 1 (CAP1000): The transition from civil construction to equipment installation, highlighted by the hoisting of a massive, 1,000-tonne conical steel outer containment dome measuring 41 meters in diameter.
Xudapu Unit 3 (VVER-1200): The completion of hot functional testing of this Rosatom-supplied Generation III Russian reactor, clearing the final hurdle before fuel loading.
Lufeng Unit 1 & Taipingling Unit 3: Major structural progress, including Lufeng's second steel containment ring installation and Taipingling's inner steel containment section placement.
3. Frontier Nuclear Technology & World Firsts
The SMR Race: The status of the 125 MWe ACP100 (Linglong One) small modular reactor demonstration project at Changjiang. If hot functional testing and fuel loading succeed, it will become the world's first land-based commercial SMR.
Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors: An update on the CFR-600 fast breeder reactor program at Xiapu Unit 1, which has been undergoing extended testing since late 2023.
Gas-Cooled Generation: Shidaowan's HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, which entered commercial operation in late 2023.
4. Redefining Nuclear Economics & Ownership
The Private Equity Experiment: Cangnan Nuclear Power’s San'ao Unit 1 (commercialized in April 2026) marks a major policy shift as one of the first Chinese nuclear projects to feature explicit private equity participation, including a 2% stake from Geely Technology Group.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uraniumunleashed.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Uranium Unleashed1. The Unprecedented Scale of the Expansion
The Global Leader in Construction: China is currently operating 62 reactors and constructing an additional 39+ units, totaling approximately 37.3 GWe.
The 110 GWe Target: Under the 15th Five-Year Plan, China is targeting 110 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2030, with an ultimate aspirational policy goal of 200 GW by 2035. If met, nuclear power could contribute roughly 10% of national generation, up from 4.5% today.
The Approval Pipeline: Inside the State Council’s April 2025 approval of 10 new reactors across 5 sites (Fangchenggang, Haiyang, Sanmen, Taishan, and Xiapu), representing an investment of ¥200 billion ($27 billion) and marking the fourth consecutive year of 10+ reactor approvals.
2. Engineering Marvels: Mid-June 2026 Milestones
Lianjiang Unit 1 (CAP1000): The transition from civil construction to equipment installation, highlighted by the hoisting of a massive, 1,000-tonne conical steel outer containment dome measuring 41 meters in diameter.
Xudapu Unit 3 (VVER-1200): The completion of hot functional testing of this Rosatom-supplied Generation III Russian reactor, clearing the final hurdle before fuel loading.
Lufeng Unit 1 & Taipingling Unit 3: Major structural progress, including Lufeng's second steel containment ring installation and Taipingling's inner steel containment section placement.
3. Frontier Nuclear Technology & World Firsts
The SMR Race: The status of the 125 MWe ACP100 (Linglong One) small modular reactor demonstration project at Changjiang. If hot functional testing and fuel loading succeed, it will become the world's first land-based commercial SMR.
Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors: An update on the CFR-600 fast breeder reactor program at Xiapu Unit 1, which has been undergoing extended testing since late 2023.
Gas-Cooled Generation: Shidaowan's HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, which entered commercial operation in late 2023.
4. Redefining Nuclear Economics & Ownership
The Private Equity Experiment: Cangnan Nuclear Power’s San'ao Unit 1 (commercialized in April 2026) marks a major policy shift as one of the first Chinese nuclear projects to feature explicit private equity participation, including a 2% stake from Geely Technology Group.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uraniumunleashed.substack.com/subscribe