Beijing Approves Eight New Nuclear Reactors in Buildout

China’s State Council has approved the construction of eight new nuclear power reactors across four coastal provinces, representing an estimated total investment of 160 billion yuan (approximately $24 billion), according to Caixin Global. The decision, announced on July 31, marks the latest step in China’s aggressive push to expand nuclear capacity as a cornerstone of its clean energy strategy and carbon neutrality goals.

Strategic Context: A Nuclear Powerhouse in the Making

The approvals extend a remarkable run of sustained nuclear expansion. Since 2022, China has approved 10 or more reactors annually for four consecutive years, with 2024 and 2025 each seeing five new nuclear projects greenlit, as Caixin reported. The country’s previous single-year record was 14 reactors approved in 2008.

China’s nuclear capacity target of 110 gigawatts by 2030 represents nearly an 80% increase from the current 62.5 GW, with 112 reactors planned. This expansion is central to Beijing’s strategy of decarbonizing its power grid while meeting surging electricity demand from coastal economic powerhouses.

The Four Approved Projects

The newly approved units span four projects in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Liaoning, and Shandong provinces, all utilizing domestically developed third-generation nuclear technologies. The State Council meeting, chaired by Premier Li Qiang, emphasized that nuclear units must be built and operated to “global highest safety standards,” with full-chain safety supervision to ensure nuclear safety is “absolutely foolproof,” according to the official Xinhua readout.

Zhejiang Jinqimen Phase II

Located in Xiangshan, Ningbo, the Jinqimen project is Zhejiang’s fourth nuclear base after Qinshan, Sanmen, and San’ao. Phase II will add two Hualong One 2.0 pressurized water reactors. Notably, the project features private capital participation, with Youngor Group, Ningbo Rirun Group, and Alibaba-affiliated companies holding stakes in the project company, as The Paper via Backchina detailed.

Guangdong Taipingling Phase III

This project, located in Huidong County, Huizhou, is CGN’s first Hualong One 2.0 demonstration project. The 21st Century Business Herald reported that the phase will add two units at 1,217 MW each. When all six planned units at Taipingling are complete, the project is expected to reduce 15.02 million tons of standard coal and 46.2 million tons of CO2 annually, providing critical baseload power for the Greater Bay Area, where Guangdong’s 2025 electricity consumption ranked first nationally.

Liaoning Zhuanghe Phase I

Zhuanghe, in Dalian, Liaoning, represents a new nuclear site after 16 years of preparatory work dating back to 2006. The project will be developed by CNNC Datang Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Co., a joint venture involving China National Nuclear Power, China Datang Group, and Dalian state-owned capital. It marks Datang Group’s third nuclear investment after Ningde and Xudabao.

Shandong Laiyang Phase I

This project is significant for the deployment of Guohe One (CAP1400) technology, China’s other fully independent third-generation reactor design developed by State Power Investment Corp (SPIC). According to Yicai, the two units will each have a rated power of 1,543 MW, making them among the world’s largest passive safety nuclear units. The full Laiyang site plans six Guohe One units with a total investment of 128.3 billion yuan, which would make it China’s largest nuclear base when complete.

Technology at the Forefront

Six of the eight approved reactors will use Hualong One technology, with the Jinqimen Phase II and Taipingling Phase III designated as Hualong One 2.0 demonstration projects. The upgraded design builds on the success of the original Hualong One, which has 10 units in commercial operation domestically and internationally, with 37 more approved or under construction—the most of any third-generation reactor design globally.

CGN Chairman Yang Changli has said the Hualong One 2.0 technology is “safer, has a shorter construction period, and better economics.” CNNC’s Lu Tiezong elaborated that the 2.0 version optimizes active and passive safety designs, with passive safety systems playing a dominant role, and incorporates modular construction and AI-enabled digital nuclear power technologies.

The Laiyang project marks the start of batch and standardized construction for Guohe One, which completed its demonstration project’s first reactor at Rongcheng, Shandong in December 2024.

Economic and Strategic Implications

Nuclear projects have become a key driver of effective investment in China, with nuclear power investment in 2025 growing approximately 10% year-on-year to a record high. The eight new reactors represent investment of 160-170 billion yuan, according to estimates from Caixin and The Paper.

Beyond economics, the expansion addresses a structural challenge: as intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar achieve high grid penetration rates, nuclear power’s high energy density and baseload characteristics provide essential grid stability. For coastal provinces with rapidly growing electricity demand—particularly Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shandong—nuclear energy offers a reliable complement to renewables.

The approvals also signal China’s confidence in its domestic nuclear supply chain. The Hualong One program alone has driven the formation of a complete industrial chain involving nearly 6,000 upstream and downstream enterprises, according to the 21st Century Business Herald report.

What to Watch Next

With the current pace of 8-10 reactor approvals per year expected to continue through the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China is positioning itself as the world’s most aggressive nuclear power builder. Key developments to monitor include the progress of Hualong One 2.0 and Guohe One batch construction, the integration of private capital in nuclear projects, and whether China’s nuclear exports can leverage these domestic advances to compete more aggressively in international markets.

As China races toward its 110 GW target by 2030, the gap between its nuclear ambitions and those of other major economies continues to widen—a development with profound implications for global energy markets, climate policy, and the future of nuclear technology leadership.