China added 6.02 GW of nuclear capacity in the first nine months of 2026, up 293.5% from a year earlier, according to energy industry reports. No new reactor approvals have been made in 2026 so far, after 10 were approved in 2025.

One reactor unit reached first criticality in September and was connected to the grid in October, according to the World Nuclear Association. Counts of operating reactors differ by source: the IAEA lists 60 with 58,721 MWe of net capacity as of October 15, while the World Nuclear Industry Status Report counts 63 as of mid-2026.

Separately, a 960 MW wind-solar-storage project in Inner Mongolia was fully grid-connected; it is designed to help retrofit a coal-fired plant for more flexible operation.

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Image: 田湾核电站核岛俯瞰图.jpg by WPTO, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative photo; it does not show the events described.