Coping with growth: China's spent fuel management strategy

With the start of a massive economic expansion in the early 1990s, authorities in China consider nuclear energy a key element in the country's security of energy supply and lower carbon footprint. China has launched an ambitious nuclear power programme, which has grown over the years. Currently, China is operating 46 nuclear reactors with a total electric power capacity of 45 GWe, producing about 4% of the country's electricity. With 11 new reactors under construction or planning, 20% of the world's nuclear reactors under construction are in China. China's nuclear capacity is expected to reach 150 GWe in 2035 and 300 GWe in 2050, according to estimates of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. With such an expansion, the amount of spent fuel to manage will proportionally increase as well. China is therefore making progress in advancing its nuclear fuel cycle strategy, expanding its spent fuel and radioactive waste management infrastructure.