Construction began on Thursday on northeast China's first
nuclear power plant with the excavation of two large holes to house
reactors in Liaoning Province.
It is expected that concrete pouring will start in September
next year, according to the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group
Holdings Co. Ltd, one of the developers.
Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant, in Donggang Town of Wafangdian,
104 km north of Dalian City in Liaoning Province, will have six
generating units, each with an installed capacity of one million
kilowatts.
Two pressurized water reactor generators will be installed in
first phase of construction.
The project, approved by the?National?Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC)?last April, will cost 23 billion yuan
(US$2.88 billion), to be shared by the China Power Investment
Corporation, the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Holdings Co.
Ltd and two Liaoning companies.
The Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co. Ltd, has been
established for construction and operation of the Hongyanhe
project.
The first phase will be put into commercial operation in 2012.
It is expected to play an important role in efforts to rejuvenate
the rust-belt in the northeast.
The government plans to increase its nuclear power installed
capacity to 40 million kilowatts by 2020, accounting for?4
percent of the country's total, according to information from the
NDRC.
(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2006)