Chinese experts have started to evaluate the best place to build the first nuclear power station in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Xinhua learned from a power generator Thursday.

Four sites have been found along the valleys of the Songhua and Mudanjiang rivers with one in Hailin City, two in Fangzheng County and one in Tonghe County, said sources with Huaneng Heilongjiang Power Generation Ltd (HHPG).

Although the exact construction time is not known, HHPG sources said that the station would be built in two stages and have a generation capacity of 4 million kw per year.

China has focused on nuclear energy recently so reduce its dependency on coal, a heavily polluting fossil fuel.

China had 21 nuclear power projects under construction and 11 ones in operation as of March, according to China's National Energy Administration.

In the northeast, Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Station in Liaoning Province is now under construction, and the construction of another nuclear project in Jilin Province is scheduled to be started in 2012.