China's target to reach 58 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2020 may prove difficult to reach, as nuclear capacity "only" increased by 5 GW in 2014 (+30%), from about 15 GW in 2013 to nearly 20 GW in 2014. The approval process of new nuclear plants was frozen after the Fukushima crisis in Japan in 2011 but resumed in 2013. However, no project has received a full go-ahead so far and the nuclear industry is still awaiting the government to accelerate the approval process. State-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) expects to win approval for six nuclear reactors in 2015 and to start construction for new units at Fuqing (Fujian) and Sanmen (Zhejiang).
China also aims to become a major player in the international nuclear industry, and to export its own nuclear reactors. The announced merger of the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp (SNPTC) with China Power Investment (CPI) could help China to export its technologies.