China | Going fission (and fusion)

China is building nuclear reactors faster than any other country

Can its scientists solve the fusion problem?

The No. 5 nuclear power unit in the city of Fuqing
Photograph: Lin Shanchuan/Xinhua/Eyevine

TO WEAN THEIR country off imported oil and gas, and in the hope of retiring dirty coal-fired power stations, China’s leaders have poured money into wind and solar energy. But they are also turning to one of the most sustainable forms of non-renewable power. Over the past decade China has added 37 nuclear reactors, for a total of 55, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN body. During that same period America, which leads the world with 93 reactors, added two.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Going fission (and fusion)”

From the December 2nd 2023 edition

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