China is building four megawatt hydro-pressurized nuclear power stations in its coastal areas which are expected to go into operation by 2005, according to a local official source Friday.

By then, China's installed nuclear power capacity would rise to 8.7 million kilowatts from the current 5.4 million kilowatts, said Xu Yuming, a senior official with the State Atomic Energy Institute, at the opening ceremony on Friday of the Fifth International Nuclear Power Industrial Exhibition in south China's Shenzhen city.

China already had seven nuclear power stations in operation, which not only eased power shortages in its coastal areas, but boosted the development of the country's nuclear fuel sector, machinery manufacturing as well as other industries.

China's policy of "developing nuclear power appropriately", Xu noted, had drawn the close attention of the world.

Dozens of the world's prestigious nuclear power enterprises from the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Finland, Russia and Britain participated in the exhibition.

The exhibits on display included nuclear reactors, electrical appliance systems, nuclear safety equipment and key nuclear technologies.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2003)