China’s nuclear reality check

Overview

China will boost its nuclear power sector in the coming decade as part of the technological modernization laid out in the Five-Year Plan for 2011-15 approved by the National People’s Congress last month, and to help to reduce the overwhelming share of coal in energy production. The Fukushima disaster in Japan has led Beijing to call a moratorium on the industry’s expansion in order to draw up new safety regulations and ensure more orderly development. This delay will slow nuclear...