China has approved the construction of eight additional nuclear power reactors. The decision reinforces the country’s position as the world’s largest market for new nuclear power, while potentially increasing competition for uranium, conversion and enrichment services – parts of the nuclear fuel cycle in which Europe is already vulnerable.
The decision was taken at a meeting of China’s State Council on 31 July 2026, according to World Nuclear News and the Chinese energy companies involved. It covers six Hualong One reactors at the Jinqimen, Taipingling and Zhuanghe sites, as well as two larger Guohe One reactors at Laiyang.
The projects form part of China’s long-term expansion of nuclear power. The country aims to have 110 gigawatts of nuclear generating capacity in operation by 2030. At the end of 2025, China had approximately 62 gigawatts in operation and another 43 gigawatts under construction, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Two Chinese reactor families move into serial construction
Four of the newly approved reactors – Jinqimen units 3 and 4 and Taipingling units 5 and 6 – will serve as demonstration projects for Hualong One 2.0. This is an upgraded version of the Chinese Hualong One pressurised water reactor, also known as the HPR1000.
The updated design draws on experience gained from earlier construction projects and operating reactors. According to China National Nuclear Corporation, CNNC, ten Hualong One reactors are in commercial operation in China and abroad. Another 37 units have been approved for construction.
This marks an important difference compared with many European nuclear projects. China is no longer building only individual demonstration plants. It is developing an industrial series in which designs, components and construction methods can be reused. This could shorten construction times, reduce costs and give Chinese suppliers a stronger position in export markets.
Two Guohe One reactors will be built during the first phase of the Laiyang project in Shandong province. In the longer term, the site is planned to accommodate a total of six reactors.
Guohe One, also known as CAP1400, is a larger Chinese development of Westinghouse’s US-designed AP1000 reactor. The approval is described as the first project in which the model will be constructed as part of a standardised series. It illustrates how China has moved from importing Western reactor technology to developing its own larger designs for the domestic market and possible future exports.
Uranium is available – but the fuel cycle may become a bottleneck
The new reactors do not mean that the world is running out of uranium. Known recoverable resources are estimated to last for around 90 years at current consumption levels. The more immediate question is whether new mines and fuel-cycle facilities can be commissioned quickly enough, according to the World Nuclear Association.
The global reactor fleet currently requires approximately 69,000 tonnes of uranium annually. In the association’s reference scenario, demand could exceed 150,000 tonnes by 2040. At the same time, output from several existing mines is expected to decline during the 2030s, requiring investment in new projects with long permitting and construction periods.
Production is also highly concentrated. In 2024, Kazakhstan, Canada and Namibia together accounted for approximately 75 per cent of global uranium mining. China’s strategy is to cover roughly one-third of its requirements through domestic production, one-third through Chinese ownership interests in overseas mines and the remainder through purchases on the international market.
As China’s reactor fleet grows, the country will therefore need to secure larger volumes through long-term supply agreements and investments in foreign mines. This could increase competition for deliveries from Kazakhstan, Namibia, Uzbekistan and Canada in particular.
As a general rule, a new 1-gigawatt reactor requires approximately 300–450 tonnes of uranium for its initial fuel load and around 150 tonnes annually thereafter. The eight approved reactors could consequently create additional annual demand of more than 1,000 tonnes once all of them are operating.
Mining, however, is only the first step. Uranium must also be converted into gaseous form, enriched and manufactured into reactor fuel. Conversion and enrichment capacity is concentrated among a relatively small number of companies and countries. Bottlenecks in these stages may therefore become more serious than shortages in uranium mining itself.
Europe faces competition for both resources and technology
China’s expansion matters to Europe because the EU is entirely dependent on imported uranium. During 2025, nuclear utilities in the EU purchased approximately 14,678 tonnes of natural uranium. Canada supplied around 37 per cent and Kazakhstan 20 per cent, while Russia accounted for approximately 16 per cent, according to the Euratom Supply Agency.
The EU’s exposure becomes greater when conversion and enrichment are also included. In 2025, Russia’s Rosatom supplied around 24 per cent of the conversion services delivered to EU utilities. Countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States collectively accounted for almost 47 per cent of the EU’s natural uranium deliveries.
China’s rising demand will not prevent Europe from obtaining uranium. European utilities maintain inventories and generally operate with multi-year supply agreements. Nevertheless, competition for non-Russian material could intensify as China, the United States and Europe all seek to secure fuel from the same group of producing countries.
The expansion also has a technological dimension. Hualong One and Guohe One are being developed for standardised serial construction supported by a large domestic supply chain. If China can demonstrate that these reactors can be completed rapidly and at predictable costs, it could offer an increasingly competitive package to countries seeking complete nuclear power plants combined with financing, fuel and long-term servicing.
For Europe, the competition therefore concerns more than access to uranium. It also involves engineering expertise, component manufacturing and the capacity to construct several identical reactors in succession. Europe’s nuclear market is more fragmented between different technologies, national regulatory systems and individual projects, making it more difficult to achieve the same economies of series production.
China’s State Council has emphasised that the new reactors must be constructed and operated in accordance with high international safety standards. At the same time, the rapid expansion will place considerable demands on regulators, qualified personnel and quality control throughout the supply chain.
Sources: China’s State Council, China National Nuclear Corporation, State Power Investment Corporation, World Nuclear Association, World Nuclear News and Euratom Supply Agency.
