Nuclear power important in China's future energy mix: report

WASHINGTON - Nuclear power will play an important role in China's future energy mix for emission reduction and economic growth, said a report issued here on Friday.

China is ready to undergo a nuclear power revolution, with a targeted annual approval rate of six to eight new reactors under the 13th Five Year Plan, said the report on China's nuclear energy issued by the China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC), a non-governmental and non-profit organization based in China's Hong Kong.

In 2015, China has 24 nuclear reactors under construction, more than one third of the world's total at this stage, said Xiaoyong Huang, one of the authors of the report and president of the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Although there are different understandings and voices to the nuclear constructions in China, we still believe it is quite essential and necessary for China to choose nuclear power," said Huang. "We have three reasons."

One reason is that nuclear power is a comparatively clean energy which can help China protect its environment and realize its emission reduction goal.

It also has great significance to China's energy security and economic growth, Huang said. Right now China imports large amount of oil and gas, and compared with other clean energy like wind and solar nuclear, nuclear energy is much more economic and stable.

Moreover, there is great market potential for China's nuclear development and it can also help promote China's export of advanced manufactured equipment.

"Currently just above 3 percent of entire electricity in China are from nuclear generation. This level is quite low compared with the world level which is 16 percent," said Huang.

The report was praised by other foreign experts for providing a comprehensive analysis of nuclear power and its role in China.

"It does a superior job by doing this report which tells you all of the challenges to nuclear energy development in China, the opportunities, the risks, the costs. I am sure it's a good reading," said Robert McFarlane, co-founder of United States Energy Security Council.