The Taipingling nuclear power plant in South China's Guangdong Province under construction by Chinese energy firm CGN File photo: Courtesy of CGN

A group of CPPCC members are putting forth a proposal, recommending the inclusion of nuclear-generated electricity into the country's green electricity certification, as the country's expanding fleet of nuclear generators are capable of providing over 160 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year now.

Proposed by Yang Changli, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of Chinese nuclear giant CGN, and 13 other CPPCC members, the proposal noted that nuclear electricity hasn't been included into the national green electricity certification, which impeded efforts in realizing the country's carbon neutrality goals and the long-term development of the country's nuclear industry.

China's top political advisory body, the CPPCC National Committee, opened its annual session in Beijing on Monday.

China established a green electricity certification system in 2017 and electricity generated from wind and solar sources are awarded with certification and gain a premium at electricity market trading.

The proposal noted that electricity generated from nuclear power stations has the lowest carbon emissions among renewable energy sources, citing data from the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

One kilowatt hour of nuclear-generated electricity only emits 5.7 grams of carbon emission, compared with 74.6 grams from solar, 64.4 grams from hydropower and 13.3 grams from wind.

To date, total installed capacity of nuclear power generations in operation and under construction in China has exceeded 100 million kilowatts, accounting for 21.2 percent of the world's total with first-rated safety record, according to Yang.

The fact that nuclear power companies do not have access to official green electricity certification has prevented them from meeting the rising market demand for green electricity and curbed the supply of green power.

In the face of the sector's steady expansion, China's nuclear power generation capacity is set to reach 10 percent of the nation's total power generation capacity by 2035, according to estimates.

As of the end of 2023, China had 55 nuclear power generators in operation, generating 4.86 percent of all power generated in the year, which helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 323.3 million tons, according to China Nuclear Energy Association.