AI
China’s Nuclear Ambitions
Before Fukushima, the hysteria that often surrounds nuclear power did not seem to exist in mainstream China. Questions about safety were met with a stern insistence that China needed more electricity from cleaner sources. Nuclear was just one of the many options Beijing was pursuing.
China was bullish on electricity demand and its plans for nuclear expansion. Back in 2009, officials and energy experts were predicting nuclear capacity would reach 70 GW by 2020 from just 9.1 GW, with a further 30 GW under construction by the end of this decade.
New approvals signal Beijing’s commitment to nuclear power. This year alone China is expected to add 13.95GW of new nuclear capacity, according to estimates on the World Nuclear Association’s website, almost doubling the country’s total capacity. Other estimates put capacity additions at a slower but still impressive 8.6GW this year. By 2020, China’s total capacity should reach 58GW, with that almost tripling by 2030 to 150GW.
China’s nuclear ambitions aren’t limited to its borders or state financing. Beijing is hoping to expand its influence in countries that did not abandon the energy source after Fukushima. It seems likely that Beijing is trying to capitalize on the absence of other major players in the last few years to promote its own technology. Beijing wants to export the CAP 1400, which stands for China Advanced Passive – a third generation technology based off Westinghouse’s AP 1000 reactors – to expand China’s presence in countries like Brazil, Russia and South Africa. And China’s state-owned nuclear companies are looking at opportunities in more developed markets as well. China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation are buying into the Hinkley Point nuclear power project in Somerset, England. Beijing is also looking to buy into uranium mines in other countries.
In the massive build-up planned for 2020 and beyond, two of China’s largest nuclear companies are looking to go public on the Hong Kong exchange. The move will open the companies up to further scrutiny, both at home and abroad; similar to the process China’s state-owned oil companies went through. But don’t expect an IPO to usher in greater transparency from Beijing – that will have to come from domestic pressure.
http://breakingenergy.com/2014/03/11/going-big-at-home-and-abroad-chinas-nuclear-ambitions/
Before Fukushima, the hysteria that often surrounds nuclear power did not seem to exist in mainstream China. Questions about safety were met with a stern insistence that China needed more electricity from cleaner sources. Nuclear was just one of the many options Beijing was pursuing.
China was bullish on electricity demand and its plans for nuclear expansion. Back in 2009, officials and energy experts were predicting nuclear capacity would reach 70 GW by 2020 from just 9.1 GW, with a further 30 GW under construction by the end of this decade.
New approvals signal Beijing’s commitment to nuclear power. This year alone China is expected to add 13.95GW of new nuclear capacity, according to estimates on the World Nuclear Association’s website, almost doubling the country’s total capacity. Other estimates put capacity additions at a slower but still impressive 8.6GW this year. By 2020, China’s total capacity should reach 58GW, with that almost tripling by 2030 to 150GW.
China’s nuclear ambitions aren’t limited to its borders or state financing. Beijing is hoping to expand its influence in countries that did not abandon the energy source after Fukushima. It seems likely that Beijing is trying to capitalize on the absence of other major players in the last few years to promote its own technology. Beijing wants to export the CAP 1400, which stands for China Advanced Passive – a third generation technology based off Westinghouse’s AP 1000 reactors – to expand China’s presence in countries like Brazil, Russia and South Africa. And China’s state-owned nuclear companies are looking at opportunities in more developed markets as well. China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation are buying into the Hinkley Point nuclear power project in Somerset, England. Beijing is also looking to buy into uranium mines in other countries.
In the massive build-up planned for 2020 and beyond, two of China’s largest nuclear companies are looking to go public on the Hong Kong exchange. The move will open the companies up to further scrutiny, both at home and abroad; similar to the process China’s state-owned oil companies went through. But don’t expect an IPO to usher in greater transparency from Beijing – that will have to come from domestic pressure.
http://breakingenergy.com/2014/03/11/going-big-at-home-and-abroad-chinas-nuclear-ambitions/
My post is for my entertainment, do your own DD before pushing your
buy/sell buttons
