China to Increase Nuclear Power Generating Capacity
Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
Beijing, 13 September: China plans to increase its installed capacity of nuclear power to 40m kW by the year 2020, accounting for 4 per cent of the country's total installed capacity at that time, a senior government official said here Tuesday [13 September].
China's current installed nuclear power capacity takes up less than 2 per cent of the total installed power generation capacity, compared with the world average of 17 per cent, said Zhang Guobao, deputy director of the State Development and Reform Commission.
"It seems insignificant to expand the share to 4 per cent, but it means a fast growth rate and needs tremendous efforts if we want to reach the goal," Zhang said at a press conference hosted by the Information Office of the State Council, the country's cabinet.
China now has 11 nuclear power generating units with a combined installed capacity of 8.7m kW.
The nine nuclear generation units in operation include five in Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang Province and four in Daya Bay and Ling Ao Nuclear Power Plant in the southern province of Guangdong.
The other two units are under construction in Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant of Jiangsu Province, east China.
The total installed power generation capacity of China is expected to exceed 500m kW this year as new units with a combined capacity of more than 65m kW will be put into operation, Zhang said.
Some of the country's coastal regions have been experiencing power shortage in the past three years though monthly power supply has been growing at a two-digit rate for nearly 40 months in a row.
China's gross domestic product grew by 9.5 per cent while power supply increased by the 15.3 per cent last year. In the first half of this year, power supply increased by 13.2 per cent year-on-year.
Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific