China’s nuclear hiatus may be coming to an end

Beijing has approved the construction of four new nuclear reactors using a domestically developed design, according to Chinese news reports.

Both projects had been planned and approved by Chinese authorities with Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design, which promises safety advances such as passive cooling. That means it stores water above the reactor, leveraging gravity to keep the plant cool should the pumps fail.

It would also be a welcome development for energy experts and governments that see nuclear as a crucial low-carbon energy source to accelerate a fossil-fuel phase-out.