Chinese energy official notes nuclear trade progress with Russia

Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant
Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

China Atomic Energy Authority Chairman Xu Dazhe said recently that there has been progress in nuclear cooperation between Russia and China.

 An article from Russian news agency TASS quoted Dazhe as saying China's Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is one result of cooperative efforts between the two countries.

"Our cooperation with Russia is developing dynamically, and we have achieved certain results," Dazhe said. "We have mechanisms of cooperation. Every year, we convene a commission; we also have cooperation programs and make research on a number of directions."

Dazhe met with media representatives recently after the release of the Chinese nuclear white paper. Dazhe also said the country has benefited from nuclear cooperation with other countries as well, including the U.S. and France.

The World Nuclear Association (WNA) said China plans to increase its nuclear capacity significantly. The country aims to have approximately 58 gigawatts of nuclear-generation capacity by 2020 and up to 150 gigawatts by 2030.

The WNA said the planned expansion also likely would result in China exporting its nuclear technology and components on a global scale. Currently, the country is primarily powered through coal and other forms of fossil fuel-based generation.