China prepares for a new era of nuclear expansion

Sputnik International reports:

China prepares for a new era of nuclear expansion

China is significantly expanding its uranium enrichment capacity, with two new large centrifuge plants set to begin operations as early as late 2026.

The facilities, operated by China National Nuclear Corporation, are being built in the cities of Lanzhou and Hanzhong, in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, respectively.

Each plant will add an estimated 1.5–2 million SWU (Separative Work Units) per year, a standard measure of uranium enrichment capacity, using second-generation centrifuges. That would bring China’s total enrichment capacity to roughly 14.4 million SWU annually — a major increase from its current level.

China currently operates three major enrichment facilities:

◼️ Lanzhou (Plant 504)

◼️ Hanzhong (Plant 405)

◼️ Emeishan (Plant 814)

The expansion comes as Beijing prepares for a major increase in nuclear power generation. Under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030, the country is targeting around 110 GWe (gigawatts of electric capacity) from nuclear power by 2030.

📌 The last statistic that I saw just in the past few weeks, is that China now has 640 nuclear warheads.  Of course this announcement is part of the prequel of the meeting with Trump.   Although this is power generation, the focus is on enrichment.

The image is AI-generated