Photo taken on December 22, 2018 shows generators of the second phase at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in Lianyungang city in East China's Jiangsu Province. Photo: Xinhua

China has taken the global lead in nuclear energy construction capacity, as the installed capacity of nuclear power generating units under construction remained the world's largest in the past few years with 17 units currently under construction, according to the Blue Book of Nuclear Energy 2021 released by China Nuclear Energy Association on Wednesday. 

A total of 17 nuclear power generating units are under construction with a total capacity of 18.53 million kilowatts, CNEA Secretary General Zhang Tingke said in an interview with CCTV on Wednesday, adding that all nuclear power projects under construction are making steady progress, and China has fully mastered the core technology of manufacturing advanced nuclear power equipment.

In 2020, China's nuclear power generation capacity reached 366.24 billion kWh, which ranked the second highest in the world with a year-on-year increase of 5.02 percent, Zhang added. 

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period 2016-20, a total of 20 new commercial nuclear power generating units were put into operation, with an additional installed capacity of 23.45 million kilowatts, according to CCTV.

As of the end of December 2020, the number of commercial nuclear power generating units in the Chinese mainland reached 48 with a total of installed capacity of 49.88 million kilowatts, which ranked third in the world after the US and France, CCTV reported. Also, 28 generating units have reached full marks in the World Association of Nuclear Operators composite index, accounting for one-third of the total full marked nuclear power generating units globally. 

Global Times