Nuclear energy consumption in China 1998-2022

In 2022, China consumed some 3.76 exajoules of nuclear energy. In 2013, the figure surpassed one exajoule for the first time and subsequently increased threefold in a mere six years. In the last few years, China has been trying to increase the share of non-fossil fuel sources in electricity generation due to the deteriorating environment.

 World’s third nuclear energy consuming country 

China was the second biggest nuclear energy consumer in the world as of 2022, just after the United States. Unlike France, China’s reliance on nuclear energy was significantly low: nuclear power only accounted for around five percent of the country’s power mix, compared to almost 70 percent for France.

 High energy demand drives growth for nuclear energy

 Despite the low share of nuclear energy in the power mix, China was the country with the highest electricity consumption in the world. To face the growing electricity demand, China had over 20 nuclear units under construction and 45 nuclear reactors in the pipeline in 2023.