(CRI)
Updated: 2008-01-16 10:19

The first phase of the planned Ningde nuclear power project in eastern China's Fujian Province is currently undergoing evaluation, and the results will be reported to the country's top economic planner soon for approval, the People's Daily's Web site reported. The National Development and Reform Commission has entrusted China International Engineering Consulting Corporation (CIECC) to evaluate the project report.

The Ningde nuclear power project, with a designed installed capacity of six million kilowatts, will be located on the three islands in Beiwan Village of Fuding City, away from residential areas.

The project is expected to establish six one-million-kilowatt pressurized water reactor-based nuclear power generators, and will be divided in three phases.

Following further improvements, the four generators from the first phase of the project will adopt the domestically-designed CPR-1000 units which have been used in the country's Ling'ao nuclear power station, the report says.

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG), Datang International Power Generation Co., Ltd. and Fujian Coal Industry Group will jointly fund the project with a total investment of over 70 billion yuan. Preparations for construction are mostly finished.

The project will significantly ease the strain on the local energy supply and boost environmental protection, the report quoted the provincial government authorities as saying.

China plans to expand the country's installed capacity of nuclear generating units by 23 million kilowatts from 2005 to 2020. By then, its annual nuclear power generation capacity will have reached 260 to 280 billion kilowatt hours.

The ratio of installed nuclear power capacity will be increased by half, to account for four percent of China's total installed power generating capacity, according to an earlier Xinhua report.