China to build 60 nuclear reactors over next decade

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201103100233.html

BEIJING--China plans to build six nuclear power plants a year over the next decade, increasing its nuclear power capacity to more than 70 gigawatts by 2020, according to a top official of a nuclear power company.

Liu Wei, vice president of China Nuclear Power Engineering Corp., which comes under China's nuclear authority, the China National Nuclear Corp., said in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun that China should have about 70 reactors online by 2020, more than now operating in Japan. Japan has 54 reactors.

Currently, China has 13 reactors with a total output capacity of 11 gigawatts. Twenty-five new nuclear power plants are already under construction, nearly half of all new facilities being built worldwide.

Recently the United States approved the export of nuclear facilities to China, and Westinghouse Electric Co., owned by Toshiba Corp., is building one of the new reactors.

Japanese companies are also exporting related facilities.

While China's nuclear drive is aimed at domestic demand, Liu did not rule out the possibility that Beijing could also export nuclear facilities and technology, which Tokyo eyes as a key economic growth area.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

Question: The schedule seems a little rushed.

Answer: Our initial plan was to achieve an output of 40 gigawatts by 2020, but we expect to achieve that goal five years ahead of time, or earlier.

While a final decision has yet to be made, we plan to set the target at more than 70 gigawatts.

The standard output capacity of a reactor is 1 gigawatt. By 2020 we hope to have more than 70 reactors operating, more than Japan has.

With an eye on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, China plans to boost its reliance on non-fossil fuel energy sources to 15 percent of total supply. Currently nuclear power generation accounts for about 1 percent of overall electricity supply, so there is plenty of room for growth in this field.

Q: The construction period seems short.

A: With two years of preparation we can construct the facilities so that they can be commercially operable within five years. Unlike in Japan, we do not encounter opposition from local communities.

With thermal power generation that uses coal still the main source of power in the country, nuclear energy tends to be seen as a clean form of energy.

A set of four generators costs about 50 billion yuan (about 600 billion yen or $7.25 billion) to build, meaning that local communities will benefit from new jobs and the tax income that is generated.

Q: Do you have plans to export reactors?

A: Currently, our priority lies with domestic needs, but we are thinking about it.

China has been building nuclear power plants for the last two decades and will continue to build a large number of facilities.

Compared with many industrialized countries which have largely stopped construction of new facilities, China is developing new technologies every year. Drawing on experience and cutting-edge technologies from other countries, China has designed, built and operated its own nuclear reactors at a lower cost than developed countries. There lies our strength.

Q: There are safety concerns among Japanese about such a large amount of construction being undertaken so rapidly.

A: We have a track record of safely operating nuclear facilities for 20 years now. We hope to reassure people about that. China, Japan and South Korea will form a region where more than 100 reactors are concentrated. There are many areas where we can cooperate to ensure the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture, and learn about nuclear facilities and earthquakes. It was good experience.