China drafts law to boost nuclear firms' overseas expansion

The law targets reactor exports based on the CAP1400 and Hualong One reactors.

The Chinese Ministry of Justice has submitted a new draft legislation to the industry for consultation, intending to provide more support for Chinese nuclear companies to go overseas and strengthen their presence on the international market. The export of nuclear fuel, services and equipment will be encouraged, in particular reactor exports based on the development of the CAP1400 reactor and the Hualong One reactor. The new policy also recommends the development of a domestic national nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium exploration and mining, recycling of used fuel and disposal of radioactive waste. The draft legislation will be implemented alongside the Nuclear Safety Law, which came into force in January 2018. The draft law will remain open for public comment until 19 October 2018.

China currently has 43 nuclear reactors in operations with a cumulated capacity of around 47 GWe and another 15 under construction. The government aims to reach an installed nuclear capacity to 58 GWe by the end of 2020, with an additional 30 GWe under construction.

This article was originally published by Enerdata.