Beijing plans to build new reactors at a rate of nearly two a year between now and 2020 to quadruple nuclear output to 16 billion kilowatt-hours. This could represent a reversal to an aversion to nuclear energy in many countries.
Unlike in the U.S. or Europe, where the mere mention of nuclear power is considered a political anathema, there has been no public discussion of nuclear energy. The government strictly censors its news coverage and nuclear power proponents scoff at warnings.
U.S. and other nuclear plant technology companies are lining up to sell reactors to the Chinese, whose purchasing decisions alone could decide who survives in the business. China's nine nuclear reactors now supply less than 2 percent of electricity demand. But China's power needs are so great that even assuming present plans go through, nuclear energy would still meet less than 4 percent of demand in 2020. China now gets 80 percent of its electricity from coal.
"In China we have state-owned power companies, whereas abroad they have private companies," said Yu Jiechun, an engineer at the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. "It's not a matter of someone's profit here."
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