Lu Tiezhong, chairman of China National Nuclear Power Co (CNNP), has proposed steady development of nuclear power to meet the surging energy demands of the AI industry and accelerate the construction of a modern energy system. In his submissions to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference this year, he highlighted that global tech giants are increasingly turning to nuclear energy to address high-energy consumption challenges from AI computing. As a stable, reliable, and zero-carbon baseload energy source, nuclear power is positioned to support high-load, nonstop facilities like AI data centers.
Lu Tiezhong emphasized that the synergy between nuclear power and the AI industry is a win-win. Nuclear power enterprises gain a steady market for their output, while data centers receive the high-fidelity power necessary for digital infrastructure. According to International Energy Agency forecasts, global IT loads are expected to see a cumulative increase of 106 gigawatts between 2025 and 2030, fueled by the rapid expansion of generative AI and large-scale model training.
As computing power becomes a core driver of the digital economy, the electricity required to sustain these massive processing clusters has surged, making reliable energy supply a primary strategic bottleneck for the industry's continued growth. Lu noted that unlike intermittent energy sources that fluctuate with weather conditions, nuclear plants offer the stable, continuous baseload power necessary to prevent interruptions in critical computing processes, ensuring that China's digital evolution remains both high-speed and carbon-neutral.
The relationship is reciprocal. AI technologies are poised to play a transformative role in the nuclear sector's own evolution, with CNNP having already established several specialized digital platforms, including big data and AI systems that support production operations, safety management, and data analysis. Lu stated that as AI integration deepens, it will further enhance the intelligent operational levels of nuclear plants, ensuring higher efficiency and more rigorous safety feedback loops.
China has been progressively scaling up its nuclear infrastructure in recent years and is on course to become a global leader in operational nuclear power capacity by 2030. According to forecasts from the China Nuclear Energy Association, the nation's nuclear capacity is expected to reach 110 GW by 2030 and 150 GW by 2035. Nuclear power will play a vital role as a key substitute for high-carbon energy sources and a mainstay for the stability of the new power system.
China is also stepping up domestic localization of key equipment in the nuclear power sector, ensuring independent control of key component technologies. With the accelerated approval of nuclear power projects, increasing investments in new nuclear power plants are expected to further stimulate the country's related industry chain, according to CITIC Securities.
Looking toward the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Lu outlined a strategic vision of nuclear-renewable coupling. This approach aligns with national mandates to build a new energy system emphasizing the coordinated development of wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power. CNNP is already making strides in this integration by utilizing idle land and tidal flats near existing nuclear sites for renewable projects. Notable examples include the 2 GW Tianwan tidal flat solar demonstration project, the nation's largest offshore solar farm, located in eastern Jiangsu province.
"All these measures collectively ensure that China's energy standing remains unyielding," Lu concluded. The fusion of nuclear and renewable energy will create a more stable and cleaner energy supply system for the digital economy. With China's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, nuclear power is expected to play an increasingly vital role in the country's energy transition.
