China's nuclear programme to swing back into full gear

摘要

For worldwide proponents of nuclear power as a low-emission, baseload power source, China's ambitious nuclear power deployment programme has served as a solitary beacon of light in an otherwise glum industry. Considering Japans industry restart remains stuck in a policy and regulatory quagmire; Europe's previously seemingly resurgent industry has been beset by project slowdowns; Southeast Asia's ambitions have largely been set aside or cancelled; and a large portion of the US industry is teetering on the brink of insolvency due to unfavourable market and policy shifts, the tremendous build projections of the Chinese industry offer a tenuous lifeline to nuclear power technology firms around the world. Unfortunately, nuclear power projects remain notoriously vulnerable to cost and schedule overruns and shifting policies, and the Chinese nuclear power programme in recent years has been no different.