IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v101y2017icp683-691.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

China's nuclear export drive: Trojan Horse or Marshall Plan?

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas, Steve

Abstract

China's civil nuclear industry expanded strongly from 2008 onwards and nearly half of reactor construction starts worldwide since then are accounted for by the Chinese home market. Increasingly China is turning its attention to the export market using its own designs, which it claims emulate the safety standards of the latest designs of the established nuclear reactor vendors. Its export efforts would be greatly strengthened if it were to win an order from an established user of nuclear power and its best opportunity appears to be the UK where it is at the early stages of negotiating the construction of nuclear reactors. The financial collapse of the French nuclear company, Areva, gives it the opportunity to take a stake in the rescued companies giving it access to important fuel cycle technologies and perhaps the large French reactor service market. Its other export prospects in Europe are in Romania and Turkey. There are a number of issues European governments need to examine before committing to allow in Chinese nuclear companies. These include national security concerns about dependence on China for key infrastructure, issues of quality control and regulatory competence and the lack of construction experience with China's modern reactor designs.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas, Steve, 2017. "China's nuclear export drive: Trojan Horse or Marshall Plan?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 683-691.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:101:y:2017:i:c:p:683-691
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.09.038
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421516305031
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.09.038?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhou, Yun & Rengifo, Christhian & Chen, Peipei & Hinze, Jonathan, 2011. "Is China ready for its nuclear expansion?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 771-781, February.
    2. Guizhen He & Arthur P.J. Mol & Lei Zhang & Yonglong Lu, 2014. "Nuclear power in China after Fukushima: understanding public knowledge, attitudes, and trust," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 435-451, April.
    3. Ramana, M.V. & Saikawa, Eri, 2011. "Choosing a standard reactor: International competition and domestic politics in Chinese nuclear policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6779-6789.
    4. Zhou, Sheng & Zhang, Xiliang, 2010. "Nuclear energy development in China: A study of opportunities and challenges," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 4282-4288.
    5. Thomas, Stephen, 2016. "The Hinkley Point decision: An analysis of the policy process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 421-431.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Thomas, Steve, 2018. "Russia's Nuclear Export Programme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 236-247.
    2. Lin, Boqiang & Bae, Nuri & Bega, François, 2020. "China's Belt & Road Initiative nuclear export: Implications for energy cooperation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Viet Phuong Nguyen & Man-Sung Yim, 2019. "Nonproliferation and Security Implications of the Evolving Civil Nuclear Export Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-14, March.
    4. Thomas, Steve, 2019. "Is it the end of the line for Light Water Reactor technology or can China and Russia save the day?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 216-226.
    5. Runhui Lin & Yuan Gui & Zaiyang Xie & Lu Liu, 2019. "Green Governance and International Business Strategies of Emerging Economies’ Multinational Enterprises: A Multiple-Case Study of Chinese Firms in Pollution-Intensive Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-32, February.
    6. Thomas, Stephen, 2018. "Corporate performance of the Seven Brothers of the European energy market: Then there were five," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 164-174.
    7. Wealer, B. & Bauer, S. & Hirschhausen, C.v. & Kemfert, C. & Göke, L., 2021. "Investing into third generation nuclear power plants - Review of recent trends and analysis of future investments using Monte Carlo Simulation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    8. Portugal-Pereira, J. & Ferreira, P. & Cunha, J. & Szklo, A. & Schaeffer, R. & Araújo, M., 2018. "Better late than never, but never late is better: Risk assessment of nuclear power construction projects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 158-166.
    9. Kim, Philseo & Kim, Jihee & Yim, Man-Sung, 2022. "Assessing proliferation uncertainty in civilian nuclear cooperation under new power dynamics of the international nuclear trade," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    10. Gangyang, Zheng & Xianke, Peng & Xiaozhen, Li & Yexi, Kang & Xiangeng, Zhao, 2021. "Research on the standardization strategy of China's nuclear industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ramana, M.V. & Hopkins, Laura Berzak & Glaser, Alexander, 2013. "Licensing small modular reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 555-564.
    2. Valentine, Scott Victor, 2014. "The socio-political economy of electricity generation in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 416-429.
    3. Roh, Seungkook & Choi, Jae Young & Chang, Soon Heung, 2019. "Modeling of nuclear power plant export competitiveness and its implications: The case of Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 157-169.
    4. Yang, Min & Liu, Qi & Zhao, Hongsheng & Li, Ziqiang & Liu, Bing & Li, Xingdong & Meng, Fanyong, 2014. "Automatic X-ray inspection for escaped coated particles in spherical fuel elements of high temperature gas-cooled reactor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 385-398.
    5. Chi, Cheryl S.F. & Chen, Ling, 2012. "The sources of divergent practices in China's nuclear power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 348-357.
    6. Ren, Jingzheng & Gao, Suzhao & Tan, Shiyu & Dong, Lichun, 2015. "Hydrogen economy in China: Strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats analysis and strategies prioritization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1230-1243.
    7. Ming, Zeng & Yingxin, Liu & Shaojie, Ouyang & Hui, Shi & Chunxue, Li, 2016. "Nuclear energy in the Post-Fukushima Era: Research on the developments of the Chinese and worldwide nuclear power industries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 147-156.
    8. Gangyang, Zheng & Xianke, Peng & Xiaozhen, Li & Yexi, Kang & Xiangeng, Zhao, 2021. "Research on the standardization strategy of China's nuclear industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    9. Ramana, M.V. & Saikawa, Eri, 2011. "Choosing a standard reactor: International competition and domestic politics in Chinese nuclear policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6779-6789.
    10. Sun, Chuanwang & Zhu, Xiting & Meng, Xiaochun, 2016. "Post-Fukushima public acceptance on resuming the nuclear power program in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 685-694.
    11. Guo, Xiaopeng & Guo, Xiaodan, 2016. "Nuclear power development in China after the restart of new nuclear construction and approval: A system dynamics analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 999-1007.
    12. Lam, J. & Cheung, L. & Han, Y. & Wang, S., 2018. "China’s Response to Nuclear Safety Post-Fukushima: Genuine or Rhetoric?," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1866, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    13. Qi, Wen-Hui & Qi, Ming-Liang & Ji, Ya-Min, 2020. "The effect path of public communication on public acceptance of nuclear energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    14. HaeRan Shin, 2017. "Risk politics and the pro-nuclear growth coalition in Japan in relation to the Fukushima," Energy & Environment, , vol. 28(4), pages 518-529, June.
    15. Wei Zheng & Patrick Paul Walsh, 2018. "Urbanization, trade openness, and air pollution: a provincial level analysis of China," Working Papers 201818, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    16. Wang, Fan & Gu, Jibao & Wu, Jianlin, 2020. "Perspective taking, energy policy involvement, and public acceptance of nuclear energy: Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    17. Ridoan Karim & Mohammad Ershadul Karim & Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki & Siti Hawa Abu-Bakar & Nurul Aini Bani & Abu Bakar Munir & Ahmed Imran Kabir & Jorge Alfredo Ardila-Rey & Abdullahi Abubakar Mas’ud, 2018. "Nuclear Energy Development in Bangladesh: A Study of Opportunities and Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-15, June.
    18. Feng, Kuishuang & Hubacek, Klaus & Siu, Yim Ling & Li, Xin, 2014. "The energy and water nexus in Chinese electricity production: A hybrid life cycle analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 342-355.
    19. Reader, Tom W., 2022. "Stakeholder safety communication: patient and family reports on safety risks in hospitals," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114624, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Wealer, B. & Bauer, S. & Hirschhausen, C.v. & Kemfert, C. & Göke, L., 2021. "Investing into third generation nuclear power plants - Review of recent trends and analysis of future investments using Monte Carlo Simulation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:101:y:2017:i:c:p:683-691. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.