Page 206 - 2023 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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3 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
surplus to other areas, especially industrial ranking third in the world. Three more nuclear
centers on the coast. But the relationship is one- power generation units were put into operation in
way; inadequate transmission lines and immature the country in the first quarter of 2022. The power
spot markets prevent other provinces from selling generation capacity increased by 3.39 million
electricity back to Sichuan in a pinch. The 2022 kilowatts, up 6.6 percent year on year. As a stable
summer's record heatwave, which evaporated and reliable clean and low-carbon energy, nuclear
reservoirs and pushed up electricity demand as power is one of the important sources boosting
households cranked up air conditioners, exposed China's green development. Compared with
the vulnerability of this arrangement. Chinese traditional coal-fired power generation, each single
energy officials have vowed to speed up nuclear one-million-kilowatt nuclear power generation unit
development, among other things. A much-cited can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions
2018 study by researchers affiliated with the state by more than six million tonnes per year, greatly
economic planning agency forecast that for the reducing carbon emissions. The Hongyanhe
country to meet its net-zero carbon emissions goal Nuclear Power Plant became the third largest
by 2050, atomic energy capacity will need to reach nuclear power plant in the world. The six units
554 gigawatts. That's 28 percent of the modeled can generate 48 billion kWhs of electricity a year,
energy mix, versus 21 percent and 17 percent for accounting for approximately 20 percent of the
wind and solar respectively. That would be a boon total electricity consumption in Liaoning Province.
for many major companies, but there’s a hitch. South China's Guangdong Province has the largest
There is widespread public opposition to more number of nuclear power generation units in
plants following Japan's 2011 Fukushima accident. operation in China. In the first quarter of 2022, the
Authorities have unofficially banned building on-grid power of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station
reactors inland. In 2021, the country's 54 coastal reached 11.372 billion kWh, up 4 percent year on
reactors generated just 52 GW, or 5 percent of the year, and that of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant
total. Officials are setting their sights on 70 GW by was 11.313 billion kWh, up 17.33 percent year on
2025. Anything more ambitious may be a stretch: year. In Lianyungang City of east China's Jiangsu
the 2018 study, for instance, estimated over half Province, six nuclear power generation units at
of capacity would have to come from installations the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant are currently in
in the hinterlands. Unfortunately, many of these stable operation (CGTN, China Keeps).
regions are under mounting water stress, and
some traditional reactor designs need 1 billion A nuclear reactor in southern China has been
gallons of water per day. 2022's 6.8 magnitude reconnected to the electricity grid more than a year
earthquake in Sichuan, the strongest in nearly after it was shut down to repair damage. Part of
a decade, highlights another huge risk. A more Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province
realistic way to boost clean energy without slipping was taken offline last July 2021 after Chinese
back into fossil fuels is to expand wind and solar authorities reported minor fuel rod damage and a
capacity now, while pushing harder to roll out safer build-up of radioactive gases at the plant. Operators
and less water-intensive nuclear technologies. In reconnected the damaged reactor after months of
December, China National Nuclear Corporation inspection and maintenance. The plant is operated
(CNNC) launched an experimental "pebble in a partnership with French energy giant EDF
bed" reactor that uses gas instead of water; the and uses the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR)
government recently tested a thorium reactor that design, which was developed to relaunch nuclear
uses molten salt for coolant. It’s still early days, but power in Europe after the Chernobyl catastrophe
the payoff could be immense (Mak). of 1986. The design is touted as offering higher
power and better safety, but EPR projects in
China saw its nuclear power generation capacity Finland, France and Britain have been plagued by
continue to enlarge in 2022, hitting a high of 166.3 delays and cost overruns. There are more than
billion kilowatts hours (kWh) in the first five months 60,000 fuel rods in the reactor and the proportion
of the year, an increase of 4.5 percent year on year. of damaged rods was less than 0.01 percent. The
China has 54 nuclear power units in operation, damage may have been inevitable due to factors
with an installed capacity of 55.81 million kilowatts, including fuel manufacturing and transportation.
206
surplus to other areas, especially industrial ranking third in the world. Three more nuclear
centers on the coast. But the relationship is one- power generation units were put into operation in
way; inadequate transmission lines and immature the country in the first quarter of 2022. The power
spot markets prevent other provinces from selling generation capacity increased by 3.39 million
electricity back to Sichuan in a pinch. The 2022 kilowatts, up 6.6 percent year on year. As a stable
summer's record heatwave, which evaporated and reliable clean and low-carbon energy, nuclear
reservoirs and pushed up electricity demand as power is one of the important sources boosting
households cranked up air conditioners, exposed China's green development. Compared with
the vulnerability of this arrangement. Chinese traditional coal-fired power generation, each single
energy officials have vowed to speed up nuclear one-million-kilowatt nuclear power generation unit
development, among other things. A much-cited can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions
2018 study by researchers affiliated with the state by more than six million tonnes per year, greatly
economic planning agency forecast that for the reducing carbon emissions. The Hongyanhe
country to meet its net-zero carbon emissions goal Nuclear Power Plant became the third largest
by 2050, atomic energy capacity will need to reach nuclear power plant in the world. The six units
554 gigawatts. That's 28 percent of the modeled can generate 48 billion kWhs of electricity a year,
energy mix, versus 21 percent and 17 percent for accounting for approximately 20 percent of the
wind and solar respectively. That would be a boon total electricity consumption in Liaoning Province.
for many major companies, but there’s a hitch. South China's Guangdong Province has the largest
There is widespread public opposition to more number of nuclear power generation units in
plants following Japan's 2011 Fukushima accident. operation in China. In the first quarter of 2022, the
Authorities have unofficially banned building on-grid power of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station
reactors inland. In 2021, the country's 54 coastal reached 11.372 billion kWh, up 4 percent year on
reactors generated just 52 GW, or 5 percent of the year, and that of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant
total. Officials are setting their sights on 70 GW by was 11.313 billion kWh, up 17.33 percent year on
2025. Anything more ambitious may be a stretch: year. In Lianyungang City of east China's Jiangsu
the 2018 study, for instance, estimated over half Province, six nuclear power generation units at
of capacity would have to come from installations the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant are currently in
in the hinterlands. Unfortunately, many of these stable operation (CGTN, China Keeps).
regions are under mounting water stress, and
some traditional reactor designs need 1 billion A nuclear reactor in southern China has been
gallons of water per day. 2022's 6.8 magnitude reconnected to the electricity grid more than a year
earthquake in Sichuan, the strongest in nearly after it was shut down to repair damage. Part of
a decade, highlights another huge risk. A more Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province
realistic way to boost clean energy without slipping was taken offline last July 2021 after Chinese
back into fossil fuels is to expand wind and solar authorities reported minor fuel rod damage and a
capacity now, while pushing harder to roll out safer build-up of radioactive gases at the plant. Operators
and less water-intensive nuclear technologies. In reconnected the damaged reactor after months of
December, China National Nuclear Corporation inspection and maintenance. The plant is operated
(CNNC) launched an experimental "pebble in a partnership with French energy giant EDF
bed" reactor that uses gas instead of water; the and uses the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR)
government recently tested a thorium reactor that design, which was developed to relaunch nuclear
uses molten salt for coolant. It’s still early days, but power in Europe after the Chernobyl catastrophe
the payoff could be immense (Mak). of 1986. The design is touted as offering higher
power and better safety, but EPR projects in
China saw its nuclear power generation capacity Finland, France and Britain have been plagued by
continue to enlarge in 2022, hitting a high of 166.3 delays and cost overruns. There are more than
billion kilowatts hours (kWh) in the first five months 60,000 fuel rods in the reactor and the proportion
of the year, an increase of 4.5 percent year on year. of damaged rods was less than 0.01 percent. The
China has 54 nuclear power units in operation, damage may have been inevitable due to factors
with an installed capacity of 55.81 million kilowatts, including fuel manufacturing and transportation.
206
