Nuclear Power

China is in the midst of an ambitious nuclear power expansion, intent on building 40 to 60 gigawatts of electrical generation capacity (GWe) with at least another 18 GWe under construction by 2020; one nuclear power plant (NPP) produces about 1 GWe. China currently has 11 operating NPP - four at Daya Bay near Hong Kong, two at Tianwan in Jiangsu Province, and five at Qinshan outside of Shanghai.  To make its goal, China will have to start at four to five new reactors a year through 2020. The World Nuclear Association keeps an up to date map of reactor construction projects in China.  China's current nuclear power plants are all on the coast – as of August 2008, several inland sites have been approved but have not yet started construction.

China's nuclear industry has four main players - China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (GNPC), the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC), and China Power Investment Corporation (CPIC).  GNPC owns Daya Bay (French supplied) in partnership with CNNC, but manages day-to-day operations in practice. CNNC is part-owner of Tianwan (Russian-supplied) and Qinshan (Canadian, French, and indigenous), as well.  China's current nuclear reactor inventory includes French, Canadian, Russian, and indigenous models.  Future reactors (announced or currently under construction) will include the Westinghouse AP1000 (four on order so far), the Areva EPR (two on order), AtomStroyExport's VVER1000 (two), and the CPR1000, an indigenous model largely based on the Framatome model imported at Daya Bay in the 90s.  CNNC has also developed the CPR1000, but there are no plans yet to build this reactor.  GNPC's owns French and French-derived reactor technology, while CNNC is involved with the whole spectrum of technologies.

Ensuring the safe construction and operation of all these reactors will require a concurrent expansion in both the capabilities and size of China's nuclear regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA).  NNSA is currently subordinate to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).  In addition, it runs the Nuclear Safety Center (NSC).  NNSA employees are mostly administrative, with technical functions residing within the Nuclear Safety Center. 

The United States and China cooperate on nuclear projects under the umbrella of two agreements:

The Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (PUNE) agreement, signed in 1985, which covers cooperation and technology transfers in the nuclear power and fuel cycle areas, and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology (PUNT), signed in 1998 by the United States Department of Energy and China's National Development and Reform Commission's predecessor, the State Planning Commission, that more broadly covers cooperation in nuclear technology and export control, nuclear and radiological safety and security, and radioactive waste management.

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