China Needs Nuclear Power—and Regulations

As the Ninth China International Exhibition on Nuclear Power Industry opened in Shenzhen on Apr. 6, drawing 300 companies from around the globe, the near-meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant was on everyone's mind. "Three Mile Island and Chernobyl shocked the world. But they didn't stop people from continuing to develop the peaceful use of nuclear power," said Zhang Huazhu, chairman of the China Nuclear Energy Assn., at the opening ceremony. "We have grounds to believe that the accident at Fukushima Dai-Ichi does not suggest any end to the nuclear renaissance. It may be a catalyst to continuing the safe development of the industry." Attending were industry leaders Areva and Hitachi, as well as mainland companies that may someday challenge them: China Guangdong Nuclear Power, China National Nuclear Power, and China Power Investment.

China still seems committed to boosting its nuclear power from 10.8 gigawatts, or 2 percent of its energy mix today, to up to 80 gigawatts and 5 percent by 2020. To get there, China has to bring 10 new reactors online every year. The accident in Japan "will not affect China's overall strategy," Zhang Guobao, the former director of China's National Energy Administration, told the audience at the Shenzhen conference.