An aerial view of the Qinshan nuclear power plant in Haiyan county, Zhejiang province. [Photo/China News Service]

Data show that by 2024 China's operational and approved under-construction nuclear power units already had installed capacity of approximately 113 million kilowatts, making its nuclear power sector the largest in the world. In 2025, the nation will approve a batch of new coastal nuclear power projects, steadily advancing the construction of ongoing nuclear power projects, with the goal of reaching about 65 million kW in operational nuclear power capacity by the end of 2025.

By the beginning of 2024, the Qinshan nuclear power plant, one of China's major nuclear facilities, had been operating safely for over 160 cumulative reactor-years (a year of operation for one reactor). Now, with 2024 coming to an end, domestic nuclear reactors have set new records of staying safe, which grants the nation's energy sector greater confidence of reaching higher goals.

Nuclear power might account for a limited percentage — as low as 1-2 percent — of the domestic energy structure, but the importance attached to it demonstrates the nation's efforts to develop new power sources to replace its coal-fired power stations. As of 2024, the total installed capacity of wind power in China was approximately 510 million kW and photovoltaic power about 840 million kW, with utilization rates above 95 percent.

China has cumulatively built over 60 million kW of new energy storage, with the continuous emergence of innovative technologies in new energy storage. The country is also trying to improve the part of thermal power that has to be retained. The annual national coal production is about 4.76 billion metric tons, with 180 million kW of coal-fired power units upgraded and transformed, and more than 8 million kW of outdated capacity eliminated.

There is no set percentage goal, but with the country stepping up its efforts to increase the share of renewables, the nation's energy structure will be greener, honoring China's carbon-cutting promise to the world.

Source: By ZHANG ZHOUXIANG, chinadaily.com, Dec 17, 2024 [https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202412/17/WS6760bb6fa310f1265a1d336a.html]