Satellite images and analysis of Chinese government documents suggest that China is developing a nuclear reactor for a future large warship, marking a significant milestone in its naval capabilities.
China has constructed a land-based prototype reactor that researchers believe could eventually power the country’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy, already the world’s largest in terms of fleet size, has been rapidly modernizing, and the addition of nuclear-powered carriers would greatly extend its operational reach. This development supports China’s goal of establishing a global naval presence capable of competing with the United States.
“Nuclear-powered carriers would place China in the exclusive ranks of first-class naval powers, a group currently limited to the United States and France,” noted Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Such advancements also reflect national prestige and fuel “domestic nationalism,” he added.
The prototype reactor was discovered by researchers from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, who were examining satellite images of a site outside Leshan in southwest China. Initial suspicions pointed to a reactor for weapons material production, but analysis revealed a design focused on naval propulsion. This reactor, expected to be fully operational soon, is housed at a facility known as Base 909, which contains six other reactors at varying stages of operation or construction.
China’s naval fleet already exceeds 370 ships and submarines, solidifying its position as a major maritime power.
Satellite image of Base 909, also known as Nuclear Power Institute of China Site No. 1. Image: AP
