A model of the Shidao Bay high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power station is displayed at the Twelfth Five-Year Plan Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition on 5 June 2016 in Beijing, China. (Visual China Group/Getty Images)
- The US is reportedly up to 15 years behind
China in the development of advanced nuclear power technologies. - China has 27 nuclear reactors under
construction with significant state support and financing advantages. - The US has seen delays and cancellations in its
nuclear projects despite having the world’s largest fleet of nuclear power
plants.
The
US is as many as 15 years behind China on developing high-tech nuclear power as
Beijing’s state-backed technology approach and extensive financing give it the
edge, a report said on Monday.
The
study by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a
Washington-based nonpartisan research institute, found that China has 27
nuclear reactors under construction, with an average construction timeline of
about seven years, far faster than other countries.
“China’s
rapid deployment of ever-more modern nuclear power plants over time produces
significant scale economies and learning-by-doing effects, and this suggests
that Chinese enterprises will gain an advantage at incremental innovation in
this sector going forward,” the report said.
The
US has the world’s largest fleet of nuclear power plants, and President Joe
Biden’s administration considers this virtually emissions-free electricity
source critical to curbing climate change.
However,
after two large plants in Georgia came online in 2023 and 2024 billions of
dollars over budget and delayed by years, no US nuclear reactors are being
built. A high-tech plant that had been planned to be built at a US lab was cancelled
last year.
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China’s
state-owned banks can offer loans as low as 1.4%, far lower than the available
rates in Western economies. Its nuclear power industry has benefited from
sustained state support and localisation strategies, which have allowed China
to dominate sectors like renewable power and EVs.
The
world’s first so-called fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor
at Shidao Bay came online last December. The China Nuclear Energy Association
claims that the project involved the development of more than 2 200 sets of
“world-first equipment” with a total localisation rate of
domestically produced materials of 93.4%.
Backers
of high-tech reactors say they are safer and more efficient than current
plants. Critics say some new reactors introduce proliferation and material
risks.
It
has not all been smooth sailing for China. The China Nuclear Energy Association
has warned that there was a severe glut in nuclear component production, and
“excessive competition” was driving down prices and causing losses.
Stephen
Ezell, the report’s author, said that if the US is serious about nuclear
energy, it should develop a robust national strategy involving more investment
in research and development, identifying and accelerating promising
technologies, and supporting the development of a skilled workforce.
“While
America is behind, it can certainly catch up technologically,” said Ezell.
The
US Department of Energy did not comment on the report.
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