China is caught between a lump of coal and a nuclear reactor. Over the past decade, it has favoured the coal. More recently, nuclear power has been shunned in the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima earthquake. But the reactor’s pull is increasing.

Not before time: China needs to cut pollution. The country is responsible for 30 per cent of the world’s CO2 output. Last year, China’s emissions per capita overtook those of the EU for the first time. This is untenable: pollution is an increasing cause of social unrest as people worry about the impact on health. So this month, China – with the US – outlined new emissions targets. Balancing these against its energy needs, China aims to source one-fifth of its power from non-fossil fuels by 2030 – the year slated for peak emissions.

To help it reach these goals, China’s nuclear capacity is expected to hit 58GW in 6 years, more than trebling from this year. At that level, 2020 nuclear generation will still equate only to a mere 5 per cent of China’s total 2013 capacity – and only just over half of the US’s current nuclear capacity.