The integration of the Russian and Chinese physical economies, as expressed in the Nov. 4 meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, is exemplified by the intensifying cooperation of Russia and China in building nuclear plants in China.
Since 1999, China and Russia have jointly built nuclear power plants, with the Chinese side taking responsibility for construction and project management while Russia handles the technology and reactor design. Russia and China jointly built four 1,060-MW nuclear reactors at Tianwan, China, for a total installed capacity of 4,240 MW. They have also jointly built two 1,200-MW reactors, for a total installed capacity of 2,400 MW. They are jointly constructed by a consortium comprising China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Russia’s Rosatom.
Furthermore, China and Russia are jointly building four more nuclear plants in China: two 1,200-MW reactors at Tianwan, and two more 1,200-MW reactors at Xudabao, which are expected to be completed and brought online, depending on the reactor, between 2026 and 2028. Thus, in toto, the installed capacity that will have been built in China as a result of this collaboration will reach 11,440 MW.
