China Misses 70‑GW Nuclear Capacity Target by over 10%: Report

Source : Asian Power: China Misses 70-GW Nuclear Capacity Target by over 10%: Report https://asian-power.com/power-utility/news/china-misses-70-gw-nuclear-capacity-target-over-10-report

5 October 2026

China’s operating nuclear capacity ended 2025 more than 10% below its Five-Year Plan target, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026 (WNISR).

Gross operating capacity stood at 62.5 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2025, against the “around 70GW” goal in the 14^th Five-Year Plan.

The 15^th Five-Year Plan, approved in March 2026, targets 110 GW of gross capacity by 2030.

This would put China ahead of the US, which has 102.5 GW of gross capacity and no reactors under construction.

The WNISR report said that the country had 37 reactors under construction, half of the 73 units under construction worldwide, as of 1 July.

Two of them, Taipingling-2 and Changjiang-3, had started up by 15 August.

Construction began on nine reactors in 2025, six Hualong Ones and three CAP1000s, and on three more Hualong Ones in the first half of 2026.

The State Council approved 10 reactors in 2025, which are reportedly expected to cost more than $27.8b, and has made no new approvals in 2026 to date.

Nuclear generation rose 7.6% to a record 485 terawatt-hours (TWh) gross in 2025, equal to 4.6% of China’s electricity.

The fleet’s average load factor rose to 93% from 90% in 2024, against 68% for France’s fleet.

Wind and solar made up 83% of new capacity added in 2025 in China and generated 2,300 TWh, more than five times nuclear output.

WNISR counts 63 operating reactors in China as of mid-2026, against the IAEA’s tally of 60, as it counts the two HTR-PM modules separately and includes the CAP1400 units at Shidaowan.

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