According to a report by the BMI Research Group (www.bmiresearch.com), China is likely to overtake the USA in nuclear production within a decade, nearly tripling its nuclear capacity to just short of 100GW by 2026.

China added 8GW of nuclear power in 2016, taking the total to 34GW. It now has 20 reactors under construction, with another 176 either planned or proposed, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Georgina Hayden, head of energy and renewable research at BMI, said: “China could also develop the ability to export its nuclear capabilities and technology.

China General Nuclear Power Corp and China National Nuclear Corp, both of which are state-run, are anxious to sell and build nuclear power plants across the globe to help China with a slowing economy.”

Meanwhile, the latest World Nuclear Industry Status Report says that 10 new nuclear reactors came on-line in 2016, half of which were in China.

Of the remaining five, there was one each in India, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea and the USA. The new Watts-Bar 2 reactor built by the Tennessee Valley Authority was activated 43 years after the start of construction, which is a world record in project longevity.

Including shut-downs of two reactors and the re-start of two Japanese reactors, there are now 406 operating nuclear reactors in the world, up from 396 one year ago. The USA still has the largest operating number, at 99.