Russia’s state nuclear agency chief has vowed to fully support China in its bid to surpass the United States in nuclear power capacity.
According to international media, the United States currently operates the world’s largest network of nuclear reactors, with a total capacity of 97 gigawatts. China ranks second, with 53.2 gigawatts of operational nuclear reactors, based on official U.S. data released in April 2024.
In a statement broadcast by Russian state media, Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom State Nuclear Corporation, said Beijing has set a major target of overtaking Washington in nuclear power, with ambitions to reach 100 gigawatts of reactor capacity.
“We are already assisting China in this project and will undoubtedly continue to do so,” Likhachev said in response to a question.
He added that Russia has helped China construct four nuclear reactors and is supporting the development of four more. These projects require large amounts of uranium and nuclear fuel, which will enable China to build a new generation of its nuclear fuel cycle based on Russian technology.
