Quotable: “Westinghouse AP1000 technology continues to be recognized for its record-breaking operational and availability performance through successful deployments in China and the U.S.,” said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse president and chief executive officer. “Utilities are clearly seeing the value of the AP1000 platform and are making it a part of their long-term investments to provide safe, clean and reliable baseload electricity. With these new approvals and their delivery schedule, there will be 18 units based on AP1000 technology in operation globally by the end of the decade.”
A closer look: China now has a combined total of 16 operational or approved AP1000-based reactors on its books.
According to Westinghouse, the AP1000 reactor is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design, and the smallest footprint per megawatt-electric on the market. It is the same reactor that was used at Georgia's Vogtle-3 and -4, which came on line in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
AP1000 technology has been selected for the nuclear energy programs in Poland, Ukraine, and Bulgaria; it is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, India, and North America.
In a recent Q&A with Nuclear News, Westinghouse Energy Systems president David Durham said, “The Westinghouse AP1000 technology is the most proven nth-of-a-kind technology in the world and the most advanced in operation today. Westinghouse has gained real-time, operational knowledge and success from the deployments of its AP1000 technology, versus being a reactor concept on a piece of paper that has not yet deployed a similar technology. The AP1000 reactor continues to operate in an extremely consistent manner while setting operational records.”
China’s growth: With broad support from its government, China has emerged as a leader in nuclear expansion in recent years. As of this summer, the country has 27 nuclear reactors under construction to add to its current fleet of 56 reactors.
It anticipates building six to eight new nuclear reactors each year going forward, putting it on pace to surpass the United States in nuclear generation by 2030, according to a June 24 article from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
