(Yicai) April 28 -- China’s cabinet has given the green light to 10 new nuclear reactors across five projects, with a total investment of more than CNY200 billion (USD27.4 billion).

Each reactor unit, which will cost over CNY20 billion (USD2.7 billion), will be powered by China’s third-generation atomic power technologies, including Hualong One and CAP1000, and have an installed capacity of about 1,200 megawatts each, Yicai learned from the project holders.

The five projects are Phase III of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant and Phase II of the Taishan nuclear power plant developed by China General Nuclear Power, Phase III of China National Nuclear’s Sanmen nuclear power plant, Phase III of State Power Investment’s Haiyang nuclear power plant, and Phase I of Huaneng Power International’s Xiapu nuclear power plant.

This is the fourth consecutive year China’s State Council has approved at least 10 new nuclear reactor units. “It reflects a steady and predictable approval pace,” a nuclear industry insider told Yicai.

All of China’s operational and under-construction nuclear reactors are in eight eastern coastal provinces. Guangdong, the country’s largest provincial economy, had the highest nuclear power installed capacity, both in operation and under construction, of 23 gigawatts as of the end of last year.

China’s new atomic power units all use third-generation or higher atomic power technologies, which offer enhanced safety, Hou Yingdong, director of the nuclear safety department at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a press conference on April 23.

The Chinese mainland has 58 licensed operational reactors, 31 under construction, and 13 approved ones, according to data released by the MEE on April 23. Its total installed capacity of nuclear power units was 113 GW, ranking first worldwide by scale.

Editor: Futura Costaglione