China Surpasses France in Nuclear Capacity Amid EU Energy Market Shifts

China has surpassed France in total installed nuclear capacity and moved into second place worldwide after connecting another unit to the grid and bringing a new one online. The country's nuclear sector reached a milestone with the third unit of the Changjiang plant in Hainan province successfully connected on August 1. It is a 1200 MWe Hualong One pressurised water reactor that achieved first criticality on July 10.

The government approved the construction of eight more units, confirming its intention to continue expanding its nuclear power capabilities. In contrast, Hungary's Paks plant and Romania's Cernavoda plant have been affected by record-low Danube water levels, resulting in the shutdown of over three gigawatts of cheap, reliable baseload capacity.

The European Union is also experiencing a decline in liquefied natural gas imports, with four consecutive months of decreases. The trend comes amid constrained supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and slow storage filling. Renewable energy sources now cover 26.2% of gross final energy consumption in the EU, up from 25.2% last year.

Meanwhile, Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority recommended an operating license for the Onkalo deep geological repository at Eurajoki, a significant step towards resolving spent nuclear fuel disposal. In the UK, solar power generation reached a new milestone in July, accounting for 14.4% of electricity production.