Home / Environment / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Hainan to construct nuclear power plant
Adjust font size:

A nuclear power plant will be built in Hainan province, which suffers from power shortages and relies heavily on coal, officials said on Tuesday.

The plant in Changjiang county, west Hainan, will consist of two pressurized water reactors, each with a capacity of 650 megawatts. More than 70 percent of the plant's equipment will be manufactured in China, vice-governor Fang Xiaoyu said.

It will be built by China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC).

"The National Developmental and Reform Commission approved preliminary work on the Changjiang nuclear project on July 18," Fang said.

Developing nuclear power is the best choice for Hainan's sustainable development, he said.

"The Changjiang nuclear project will boost Hainan's efforts to become an ecological province and boost its need for more power supply," Fang said.

Hainan has been suffering from power shortages since 2006, mainly due to its slow expansion of coal and gas-fired power plants.

The province was hit by power shortages totaling 390 megawatts last year.

"It was the most severe power shortfall Hainan had experienced since 1992," Lin Huifu, director of the provincial department of development and reform, said.

"Developing nuclear power is the only solution to our energy shortage," Lin said.

The provincial leadership first decided to develop nuclear energy in 2005. Earlier this year, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang expressed his support for a Hainan nuclear plant.

CNNC has already spent more than 16 million yuan (US$2.3 million) on feasibility studies.

Li Jinying, director of CNNC's comprehensive planning department, said: "CNNC will formally start building the plant by the end of next year, and it is expected to come into operation in late 2014."

As the world's second-largest energy user, China has 11 nuclear reactors in use but they account only for 1.3 percent of its total generating capacity.

China aims to raise its nuclear power capacity to 40 gigawatts, or 4 percent of the total by 2020, but top energy officials suggested earlier this year that the goal should be revised to more than 5 percent.

(China Daily July 31, 2008)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous

China Archives
Related >>
- Nuclear power plant embarks on further expansion
- First 3rd-generation nuclear plant to be built
- Work starts on world's 1st 3G nuclear plant
- 1st 3rd-generation nuclear plant to be built
- SEPA denies blocking nuclear plant in Shandong
Most Viewed >>
- 'Olympic' pandas attract 1 million visitors
- 10 rare flowers and plants in the world
- All measures taken to ensure clear skies
- Unidentified acaleph-like aquatic found in SE China
- Typhoon hurts livelihoods of 450,000 people
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter I
Shanghai particulate matter I
Guangzhou particulate matter II
Chongqing particulate matter II
Xi'an particulate matter II
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Environmental English Training (EET) class
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
More
Archives
Sichuan Earthquake

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Sichuan Province at 2:28 PM on May 12.

Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base