Climate security

Climate goal demands huge boost in Chinese nuclear

The Paris Climate Change Agreement, which entered into force in November 2016, aims to limit the global temperature rise to below 2°C by 2010. The agreement also aims to drive efforts to limit temperature increases to below 1.5°C.

Researchers at China's Energy Research Institute analysed the nuclear power capacity needed in the country by 2050 to realise the 1.5°C target, as well as the feasibility, necessary measures and difficulty. The results were published in Advances in Climate Change Research earlier this year.

China's nuclear power capacity will need to increase from 26 GWe in 2015 to 554 GWe in 2050, the studyconcluded. The share of nuclear power in country's energy mix would increase from 3% to 28% over this period.

The study noted that, up to the end of August 2017, 37 power reactors were in operation in China, with a combined generating capacity of 35,820 MWe. A further 19 reactors with an installed capacity of 22,140 were under construction.

An additional 290 reactors will need to be constructed in order to add a further 361.3 to 433.3 GWe of generating capacity, depending on the size of the reactors built.