China Approves Largest Nuclear Power Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). China's National Development and Reform Commission, the top development plan-making body, announced earlier this month that it has approved construction of China's largest nuclear power plant in its eastern Shandong Province, with a first phase investment of $3.25 billion in building two one-million-kilowatt nuclear generator units which will start operation in 2010.

The project will use the third generation million kilowatt pressurized water reactors provided by American energy company Westinghouse Electric Company according to framework agreements signed between the US company and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation. The new technology, called "Plan AP1000," is currently the most advanced and most reliable one in the world.

The early stage of civic engineering has started on 150 hectares 20 kilometers to the east of Haiyang City, which is located by the Bohai Sea. More land has been preserved by the government for the next two phases of the power plant.

In the Sanmen nuclear project in China's southeastern province of Zhejiang, Westinghouse also got a contract to build reactors with its AP1000 technology, with six 1-million-kilowatt class generator groups in plan. Construction will start this year.

China Power Investment Corporation, a state owned enterprise, owns 65% shares of the nuclear power plant. Other shareholders include: Shandong Province International Trust Investment Company, Limited (10%), Yantai Electricity Development Company, Limited (10%), China Guodian Corporation (5%), China National Unclear Corporation (5%), and Huaneng Energy and Communication Holding Company, Limited (5%).

According to an energy five-year plan issued last month by China's top planning commission, nuclear power will account for 0.9% of all first-time energy consumption by China by accelerating construction of several nuclear projects, including: the first phase of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in the southeastern province of Jiangsu, the second phase of the Lingao Nuclear Power Plant, the Yangjiang nuclear project in the southern province of Guangdong, and the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in the southern province of Zhejiang. A project model for the high temperature gas-cooled reactor will receive active support from the government.

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