【Text by Observer Net, Chen Sijia】According to a report by Russian newspaper "Izvestiya" on September 2, Alexei Likhachev, president of Rosatom, said during an interview with Russian media that Russia will further cooperate with China in the nuclear power field, promoting China to surpass the United States in terms of nuclear power installed capacity.

Likhachev said: "China has a grand plan for nuclear energy development. The goal of this project is to exceed the United States in installed capacity, which means the total installed capacity should reach more than 100 gigawatts." He stated that Russia is helping China achieve this goal, and four reactors with an installed capacity of more than 1 gigawatt have already been built, while another four are under construction.

Likhachev told Russian media: "Our cooperation in the nuclear energy field has no limits. I believe we can foresee the development of cooperation in the nuclear energy field in terms of breadth and depth for several decades, even centuries in the future."

President of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev IC photo

Sino-Russian cooperation in nuclear power began in the 1990s. On October 20, 1999, the first phase of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, a Sino-Russian cooperative project, officially started construction. On May 17, 2007, the first unit of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant was officially put into commercial operation. On August 16 of the same year, the second unit of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant was put into commercial operation, marking the full commercial operation of the first phase of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant.

Based on the first phase, the second phase of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant carried out a series of important advanced designs and a large number of independent optimization. Units 3 and 4 were put into commercial operation on February 15, 2018, and December 22, 2018, respectively.

In June 2018, China and Russia signed framework contracts for units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant and units 3 and 4 of the Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest project in Sino-Russian nuclear energy cooperation so far. On May 19, 2021, the project for units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant and units 3 and 4 of the Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant held a groundbreaking ceremony.

Currently, the United States operates the largest scale of nuclear power units in the world. Data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that in 2024, the United States had 94 operating nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 96.95 gigawatts.

The majority of the U.S. nuclear power units were built between the 1970s and 1980s. Since the 21st century, only three new nuclear power units have been built in the United States, namely the Watts Bar 2 unit in Tennessee and the Vogtle 3 and 4 units. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, since 2013, 12 nuclear reactors have been permanently closed in the United States.

As of December 31, 2024, there are 58 nuclear power units connected to the grid in China, ranking second in the world in terms of the number of units, just behind the United States. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on February 28, the nuclear power installed capacity of China in 2024 was 60.83 gigawatts. This figure ranks third globally, following the United States and France.

In April this year, the China Nuclear Energy Association released the "China Nuclear Energy Development Report 2025" blue book. The blue book shows that as of now, there are 102 nuclear power units in operation, under construction, and approved for construction in China, with an installed capacity of 113 gigawatts (11300 megawatts).

Currently, there are 28 nuclear power units under construction in China, with a total installed capacity of 3365 megawatts (33.65 gigawatts). The installed capacity of the under-construction units has maintained the first position in the world for 18 consecutive years. The electricity generation from nuclear power in China has also continued to grow. In 2024, the cumulative electricity generation of all operating nuclear power units across the country reached 444.7 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 4.72% of the national electricity generation, ranking second in the world.

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