The United States is 10 to 15 years behind China in deploying next-generation reactors, according to a research institute.
The United States is far behind China in nuclear power, with the world’s largest economy 10 to 15 years behind the Asian giant in deploying next-generation reactors, according to a report.
China has 27 nuclear reactors under development, with an average reactor taking seven years to come online – much faster than in most other countries, the Information and Technology Foundation said. innovation in a report published on Sunday.
Between 2008 and 2023, China’s share of nuclear patents increased from 1.3% to 13.4% and the country now leads in the number of nuclear fusion patent applications, the Institute of Technology said. research based in Washington.
Beijing’s rapid rise in the field is due to a “coherent national strategy” for developing nuclear power, including low-interest financing, feed-in tariffs and simplified regulatory approval, the institute said .
“The Chinese government has placed considerable priority on the domestic construction of nuclear reactors as part of Beijing’s broader energy strategy,” the report said.
“In the future, China appears likely to use this established domestic capacity as a basis for competitive reactor exports, just as its “dual circulation” strategy has accomplished in other areas, such as electric vehicles. and batteries.
According to the institute, the widespread notion that China is a “copier” and the United States an “innovator” has encouraged a lackadaisical attitude toward industrial policy.
“First, this assumption is flawed because it is possible that innovators will lose leadership to copiers with lower cost structures, as we have seen in many U.S. industries, including consumer electronics, semi-automatic conductors, solar panels, telecommunications equipment, machine tools and, as we most likely mentioned here, nuclear energy. Second, it is not clear that China is a slow copier and always destined to be a follower,” the report said.
The United States remains the leading producer of nuclear energy, ahead of France and China, with its 94 reactors representing around a third of global production.
But the country has built only two new reactors in the past decade, both arriving years late and billions of dollars over budget.
China inaugurated the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear power plant in December, in Shidao Bay, in the eastern province of Shandong.
Chinese state media has touted the reactors as safer and more efficient than previous generations because of their use of gas for cooling in favor of pressurized water.
