CHINA has approved the construction of five new nuclear power projects, including a record-high 11 nuclear power units with a total investment of more than 200 billion yuan (US$28 billion), yicai.com reported.

China National Nuclear Corporation, China General Nuclear Power Group, and State Power Investment Corporation have three, six, and two nuclear power units involved, respectively, the report said.

The project in Xuwei, East China’s Jiangsu Province, is world’s first nuclear power plant that couples high temperature gas-cooled reactor with pressurized water reactor, focuses on industrial heating and electricity supply, the China Daily reported.

After completion, the project will provide large-scale high-quality low-carbon industrial power to the petrochemical industry base in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province.

China has sped up the building of nuclear power, with a recent guideline proposing to hasten the construction of clean energy projects, including wind and solar power ones in the northwest, hydropower schemes in the southwest, as well as offshore wind power and coastal nuclear power projects. The country’s non-fossil fuel energy consumption should increase to about 25% by 2030.

The coming years will be a “golden period” for nuclear power development in China, several industry insiders recently said. Its clean and stable energy generation will play an irreplaceable role in promoting the green transition of the economy and society, they added.

In recent years, the approval of domestic nuclear power projects has made steady progress. In 2022 and 2023, 10 new nuclear power units were approved within each year.

Electricity generated by a one-million-kilowatt nuclear power unit can meet the needs of millions of people’s production and daily life every year. It can save substantial fuel transportation costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6 million tons, sulfur dioxide by 26,000 tons, and nitrogen oxides.

(SD-Agencies)