On May 19, 2021, China and Russia began the biggest Nuclear Power Project. The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese President Xi Jing Ping attended the ceremony that began the construction of the project on May 19, 2021.
Background
In 2018, Russia and China signed an agreement on Nuclear Energy Cooperation Project. Under the agreement, the countries agreed to build Unit three and Unit Four of the Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant and Unit 7 and Unit 8 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant.
About the Project
The construction of the above four units is the major cooperation outcome of science and technology innovation and high-end equipment manufacturing between the countries. The contract value of the project is twenty billion USD. The nuclear reactors to be used in the project are third generation VVER-1200 reactors. After completion, the reactors will generate 37.6 billion kilo watt hours of electricity. Also, they will reduce 30.68 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and will also reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Background
The project is a standing evidence that Russia and China are increasing their close ties after facing huge pressure from European Union and United States on several issues including human rights violations. China has been speeding up its nuclear development to reduce its reliance on coal fired plants. This is being done to achieve its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2060.
China’s Nuclear Power
As of April 2021, there are forty-nine nuclear power plants in China. This puts the country in the third position amongst the nuclear powers. On the other hand, China is also pushing its third-generation nuclear technology Hualong Two. The Chinese have set a target of achieving 200 GW of Nuclear capacity by 2035.