Russia will help China dethrone the US as the world’s largest nuclear energy producer, said the director of the state group Rosatom in an interview with the public television station after discussions held in Beijing.
The US currently operates the largest network of nuclear power plants, with an installed capacity of nearly 97 Gigawatts (GW), according to Reuters.
China is hurrying to build dozens of new nuclear reactors and as of April 2024 had a nuclear energy production capacity of 53.2 GW, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
"China has ambitious plans regarding the development of atomic energy. The goal has been set to catch up with and surpass the US in terms of installed capacity, which means reaching a capacity of over 100 GW," said Alexei Likhachev, the CEO of Rosatom, a state-controlled Russian group.
Asked by the public television station if Russia will help China achieve this goal, Alexei Likhachev said: "Of course. We will help. We are already helping."
Russia has already assisted in building four nuclear reactors in China and is constructing four more. Additionally, China needs large quantities of uranium and nuclear fuel for its plans, Likhachev added.
As a result, China will need to develop a new generation of nuclear reactors based on Russian technology, Likhachev specified.
Rosatom is the corporation that holds the majority of shares in Atomstroiexport, the company that built most of the nuclear power plants in the former socialist bloc.