1、 itif.org How Innovative Is China in Nuclear Power?STEPHEN EZELL|JUNE 2024 Though China built upon a foreign base of technology,it has become the worlds leading proponent of nuclear energy.Chinese firms are well ahead of their Western peers,supported by a whole-of-government strategy that provides e

2、xtensive financing and systemic coordination.KEY TAKEAWAYS China intends to build 150 new nuclear reactors between 2020 and 2035,with 27 currently under construction and the average construction timeline for each reactor about seven years,far faster than for most other nations.China has commenced op

3、eration of the worlds first fourth-generation nuclear reactor,for which China asserts it developed some 90 percent of the technology.China is leading in the development and launch of cost-competitive small modular reactors(SMRs).Overall,analysts assess that China likely stands 10 to 15 years ahead o

4、f the United States in its ability to deploy fourth-generation nuclear reactors at scale.Chinas innovation strengths in nuclear power pertain especially to organizational,systemic,and incremental innovation.Many fourth-generation nuclear technologies have been known for years,but Chinas state-backed

5、 approach excels at fielding them.Analysts assess that America and China are likely at par when it comes to efforts to develop nuclear fusion technologies,but they warn that Chinas demonstrated ability to deploy fission reactors at scale gives it an advantage for when fusion comes online.Looking nar

6、rowly at scientific publications on nuclear energy,China ranks first in the H-index,a commonly used metric measuring the scholarly impact of journal publications.From 2008 to 2023,Chinas share of all nuclear patents increased from 1.3 percent to 13.4 percent,and the country leads in the number of nu