China Adds Focus to Nuclear Power
The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant is located in Guangdong Province near Shenzhen. Chinese leaders hope to build more like it throughout the country as part of a push for carbon neutrality (Flickr).
A new report by the Pentagon claimed that China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. The new estimate far outstrips projections from the China Military Power reports from previous years. The 2021 U.S. intelligence community annual threat assessment reported that “Beijing will continue the most rapid expansion and platform diversification of its nuclear arsenal in its history.” This expansion and platform diversification includes the construction of hundreds of new silos and novel hypersonic, orbital and submarine nuclear technology, according to the Washington Post.
Chinese leaders are embracing existing nuclear tech and pushing for new advancements in the hopes of achieving climate goals and surpassing U.S. nuclear energy production. Research published in Strategic Studies Quarterly found that, of the 96 reactors that have begun operation since 2000, almost half have been in China. Currently, China has eleven nuclear power plants under construction while the United States has just two.
Nuclear energy is part of China’s stated commitment to combating climate change. Chinese President Xi Jinping aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, according to the New York Times. To do this, his government has promised to start construction on 150 nuclear reactors in the next fifteen years. Chinese officials say this buildup will help prevent up to 1.5 billion tons of carbon emissions per year. For reference, this is equivalent to the amount of annual carbon emissions of Russia, twice that of Germany, and three times that of Saudi Arabia. In a country whose 2019 emissions were, as stated by BBC, greater than all other developed countries combined, policies to lower emissions constitute a significant change for Xi’s government.
China is also exploring the adoption of thorium-fueled nuclear technology. France24 noted that officials unveiled plans to test a small prototype reactor near Wuwei in Gansu province. If successful, thorium and molten salt could become standard components in China’s new reactors. In addition to being more abundant in China than the standard uranium, CS Monitor argues it is safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. According to the Guardian, critics contend that thorium-based or not, nuclear plants still release toxic fissile waste. They say that renewable energy, such as wind and solar, is a more sustainable alternative that doesn’t damage the environment.
Nonetheless, China continues to put its faith in nuclear power as the future of carbon-free energy, but it’s not alone. Along with Russia, Reuters reports that China is pushing for nuclear power adoption throughout other parts of the world like sub-Saharan Africa. It should enable clean, efficient access to electricity for the region’s rapidly growing and urbanizing population. However, cooperation on nuclear energy will also give Beijing substantial influence over sub-Saharan power grids—and far closer ties with governments in the region.