China Might Be About To Save The World
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I have said it a million times by now, but nuclear power is one of our best tools to save the planet. It’s statistically the safest form of energy we have, integrates perfectly into our current energy grids, and has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any form of energy. Conversely, coal is the largest driver of climate change, accounting for around 30% of global emissions. In fact, we can actually meet many of our global climate targets and save the planet by simply phasing out coal plants ASAP. This should be relatively easy, as one single country, China, is responsible for over 64% of global coal emissions. So, the fact that China is building nuclear power at a record pace is incredible. The country approved 10 reactors in 2022, another 10 in 2023, and now 11 in 2024, putting them on course to become the world’s biggest nuclear generator by 2030. So, does this mean China can finally kick its coal addiction and save the world? Well… yes and no.
Let’s address the elephant in the room first. While China is building out its nuclear capacity at breakneck speed, it isn’t enough to stem its coal-hungry nature. For example, China added 30 GW of nuclear capacity in 2023, but also added 47.4 GW of coal power the same year. Moreover, the recently approved reactors will take years, sometimes even decades, to build and connect to the energy…
