I literally posted this same article already on the same page, just scroll up.
Nuclear Energy
- Thread starter Strangelove
- Start date
I literally posted this same article already on the same page, just scroll up.
No, Westinghouse choose them from SK as subsupplier of AP1000 and sold the reactors to China. These AP1000 design belongs to Westinghouse who decides subcontractors. The agreement was that China will import AP1000, then make improvement in local produced reactors (other than the imported ones), if the improvements led to X% increase of power output China would own the IP of this improved variant (CAP1000) and can export it. Since CAP1000 design is owned by China, it is up to China to source the components, and I don't think there is any major components from foreign suppliers.
Last edited:
Back in the 1970's at the peak of society's optimism for nuclear power, the USA was also building 10 reactors per year.
However, the population of China today is 6 times that of the USA back in the 1970's.
Therefore an argument can be made China is actually being very conservative with "only" building 10 reactors per year.
If China were to build at the rate of the USA relative to population there would be 60 reactors per year.
Is this ever going to happen? Maybe 25 years down the road......who knows?
China is currently starting 5-6 reactor constructions/year since 2020.
There was previously a peak of 10 in 2010, prior to the Fukushima meltdowns.
60 reactors per year over a 10 year period gives you about 600 GW of capacity which translates to about 5000 TWh of annual electricity production. Note that Chinese electricity demand is currently 10000 TWh
But as stated previously, wind and solar are cheaper than coal or nuclear.
So it just makes more sense to focus the bulk of investment in wind and solar.
Last time I looked, China has polysilicon production capacity of 3 million tonnes, which roughly works out as 1000GW of solar panels per year. But it looks like only ~76% of that capacity is being utilised this year, so there is still scope for more solar panel production if required.
---
Today, China is still growing and building fairly quickly.
But I expect the electrification of the economy to be largely complete in 10 years time.
Then electricity demand growth will be modest.
Building refers to the physical manifestation, not bureaucratic exercises.
Those 70 (or so) reactors approved but not yet being built are in fact not being built as of yet.