NEI praises U.S., China trade agreement for mutual benefits

In a statement from Daniel Lipman, vice president for suppliers and international programs for the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), on Monday, Lipman praises an agreement between the U.S. and Chinese governments. 

He said that the U.S. and China have reached an agreement that would establish commercial trade, research and technology exchanges within the nuclear industry of both countries following a congressional review. According to Lipman, this will also maintain U.S. influence relating to nuclear safety, nonproliferation and security efforts globally. 

 
“To meet soaring electricity demand and address air quality and climate change challenges, China has 21 reactors under construction, including four based on a Westinghouse reactor design that has been standardized for many of China’s planned nuclear energy facilities,” Lipman said. “Another 13 reactors are slated to begin construction by 2017. By 2030, China is expected to operate the largest nuclear energy program in the world with an installed electric generation capacity exceeding 133 gigawatts. U.S. technology and equipment exports and operational support will enable China to deploy the safest nuclear technologies to mitigate its carbon-dioxide emissions.”

Lipman states that the direct economic benefit from this agreement is estimated to be approximately $70 billion to $204 billion with an anticipated 20,000 to 45,000 jobs that could be added annually.