by YANGSHU Hongji

Shanghai is planning a new phase of nuclear expansion in the 2025–2030 period, aiming to scale up reactor construction and push next-generation technologies as it targets RMB 100 billion (about US$14 billion) in industry output by decade's end.

Speaking at a nuclear technology forum on Saturday, YE Yongjian — chief engineer at the state-backed East China Electric Power Design Institute — said Shanghai will be a key base for China's next phase of nuclear development, supported by its dense cluster of research institutes and engineering firms. He said the city is also taking on a larger share of national R&D work in fourth-generation reactor technologies, which aim to improve fuel efficiency and reduce waste.

China is already developing high-temperature gas-cooled and sodium-cooled fast reactors, alongside early molten-salt projects, with several demonstration units expected to move ahead during the 2025–2030 period. Shanghai is also emerging as a center for fusion research, hosting major laboratories and a state-backed fusion developer. Ye said his institute has been studying how energy from tokamak devices could eventually be converted into electricity and expects larger experimental platforms in the coming years.

Ye noted that China will continue to rely mainly on third-generation reactors over the next 10 to 20 years, with construction set to accelerate after several units entered operation recently. He said this scale-up will drive demand for equipment manufacturing, engineering services and plant design, while longer-term work on advanced systems may create openings in high-temperature superconductors and fusion-related components.

Shanghai has one of China's most complete nuclear supply chains, spanning research, design, construction and commissioning. Industry output rose from RMB 21.4 billion in 2020 to RMB 47.1 billion in 2024. The city expects the figure to reach RMB 52 billion in 2025 and aims for RMB 100 billion by 2030 as more projects come online.

Ye said 60%–70% of Shanghai's electricity now comes from low-carbon sources — a category that in China includes nuclear and hydropower. He expects the share to rise as Shanghai imports more wind and solar power from western provinces and benefits from new coastal nuclear projects planned in East China.