China - World Nuclear Outlook Report

Projection of future nuclear capacity in China in 2050

China has 58 operable reactors, totalling 60 GWe of gross nuclear capacity. There are 33 reactors under construction in China, with a total capacity of 35 GWe⁷⁸.

China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) stated that China would “actively develop nuclear power in a safe and orderly manner”⁷⁹. With 60 GWe of operable capacity and no more than 4 GWe of reactors under construction scheduled to start up before the end of 2025, actual capacity will fall short of this target.

With the new medium- and long-term development plan for nuclear energy still under development, China Nuclear Energy Association anticipated China’s nuclear capacity to reach 110 GWe by 2030 and 150 GWe by 2035⁸⁰. Another study by China Nuclear Power Development Centre, a research institute under the National Energy Administration, said that China’s nuclear capacity could reach 335 GWe in 2050⁸¹.

Funds for nuclear power projects are mainly raised by the group companies that control nuclear power projects. Those four group companies, namely CNNC, CGN, SPIC and Huaneng, are all state-owned very large enterprises.⁸² The group companies seek finance in multiple ways including bond, equity and leasing, but in general the main finance approach is still national equity capital investment.⁸³

While only the four state-owned enterprises mentioned above are licensed to control and operate nuclear power projects, other large state-owned power utility companies in China, including Huadian, Datang and CHN Energy, are also participating in the development of nuclear power by taking minority stakes and providing financing support.

New capacity

Large-scale reactors

Between 2019 and 2024, approval was given for the construction of 46 new reactors in China. In April 2025 China's State Council approved construction of a further ten new reactors at Fangchenggang Phase III, Haiyang Phase III, Sanmen Phase III, Taishan Phase II and Xiapu Phase I.⁸⁴

Small-scale reactors

Development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology and demonstration projects is listed as a key action in China’s

14th Five-Year Plan⁸⁵ and the National Development and Reform Commission’s Action Plan for Carbon Dioxide Peaking Before 2030, published in 2021⁸⁶. There are a variety of SMR technologies being developed, including the ACPR50S floating nuclear plant, the ACP100, and the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor – Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM).⁸⁷

A demonstration project for the ACP100 started construction in 2021 in Changjiang, Hainan province. The unit is planned to commence operation in 2026⁸⁸.

The 210 MWe HTR-PM demonstration project at Shidaowan, owned by Huaneng, entered commercial operation in December 2023.⁸⁹