nuclear development three-step strategy 核能发展 ‘三步走’ 战略 hénéng fāzhǎn sān bù zǒu zhànlǔe
Proposed in 1983, the Three-Step Strategy envisaged thermal neutron reactors, fast reactors and controlled nuclear fusion as core tech in the PRC nuclear strategy. Viewed as an alternate baseload power for coal, the buildout is speeding up as it aims to decarbonise and become a global nuclear powerhouse. The domestically developed Hualong One, a breakthrough for PRC industry, is now the go-to model for most new reactors. Fast (read: more efficient) reactors are meanwhile being built. A state-owned company has been set up to develop nuclear fusion, aiming to build an industrial prototype of an ‘artificial sun’ fusion reactor by 2035.