The role of nuclear energy in reducing the environmental impacts of Chinaʹs energy use

Chinaʹs demand for energy in general, and for electricity, is expected to continue to increase for at least the next several decades. Environmental and financial considerations are amongst the major factors that will determine the sources used for generating electricity. In this paper, we compare the cost of supplying electricity from coal, hydro and nuclear facilities to Chinaʹs Eastern coastal areas. If the full system costs are compared, the cost of electricity from nuclear and hydro power plants is about the same in most cases and about 20% more than the cost from conventional coal-fired plants. This may be a reasonable premium to pay for reducing the local, regional, and global environmental impacts associated with the increased use of coal.