Russia will help China overtake the United States, which is the world’s largest nuclear power producer, the head of Russia’s state nuclear power company Rosatom noted in comments broadcast on Russian state television today following talks in Beijing.

The US operates the world’s largest network of nuclear reactors, with an installed capacity of nearly 97 gigawatts (GW).

China, however, is engaged in a race to build dozens of reactors and as of April 2024 had 53.2 GW of operational nuclear reactor capacity, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

“China has ambitious plans to develop atomic energy. It has set a goal to catch up with and surpass the US in terms of installed capacity, which means reaching a capacity of more than 100 gigawatts,” Rosatom head Alexei Likachev told Russian state television.

Asked by the state TV network whether Russia will help China in this goal, Likachev replied, “Of course.
We will help. We are already helping.”

Russia has already helped build four nuclear reactors in China and is building four more, and China needs a large amount of uranium and nuclear fuel for its ambitious plans, Likatchev added.

As a result, China will need to develop a new generation of closed-cycle nuclear reactors based on Russian technology, the Rosatom chief concluded.