Although more than 130 nuclear power plants are scheduled to be constructed in 70 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative routes, China estimated that it would build 30 of those nuclear plants until 2030.
Of the 130, about 70 would be built by the country themselves, while the rest would likely be built by China, Japan, Russia, the United States and South Korea, the five main competitors when it comes to the global nuclear market. Competition is tough and very strong in the international nuclear market, said Sun Qin, president of China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC).
The 30 that Chinese firms would build are along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the initiative pushed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to boost economic integration and connect infrastructures in the region, reported China Daily.
Behind the construction of these overseas nuclear projects is the CNNC which is pushing the Hualong One technology that is also used in some of the 30 current nuclear power generating units, with a capacity of 28 million gigawatts, it has built in China and some of the 24 under construction.
Hualong One is a third-generation nuclear reactor design that CNNC is using in its Fujian and Gungxi projects as well as in two Essex projects in Britain. So far, CNNC has exported six nuclear reactors, one experimental reactor, two nuclear research facilities and one experimental reactor.
Outside the Silk Road, CNNC is also scheduled to begin this year building its first floating nuclear power plant which would sail to specific areas and anchor offshore by the end of 2016. The floating facility is designed to provide power to offshore oil and gas drilling projects, island developments and remote locations, reported NDTV. Qin said the floating power plant would be operational by 2019.