RE:bit tired of holding Going Nuclear
China currently has 20 nuclear power plants in operation, generating about 17 gigawatts of electricity or about 2% of the nation’s power. It has 30 more reactors under construction.
By 2020, China will have tripled its nuclear generating capacity to about 58 gigawatts, making it the third-largest producer of nuclear energy behind only the United States and France.
The country also has another 60 nuclear reactors on the drawing board. The recently published Energy Development Strategy Action Plan, 2014-2020 (the Chinese government’s energy playbook for the next five years) shows that China plans to emphasize one particular type of nuclear technology – fast reactors.
The so-called fast reactors are an efficient, next-generation form of reactor. They make the most of uranium fuel by burning and breeding nuclear fuel. In other words, it actually makes more fuel than it consumes, meaning it requires less uranium. Fast reactors also reduce the total toxicity of nuclear waste and reduce the waste’s lifetime.
China plans to have 200 gigawatts of capacity from fast reactors alone by 2050.
Fast reactor makers, such as General Electric (GE), will obviously benefit from such a large account, even if the Chinese don’t reach their ambitious goal.
https://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2014/12/03/china-nuclear-power/