By Xiao Wan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-13 07:10

As one of the world's fastest growing economies and the second largest consumer of energy, China is looking more to nuclear power to better distribute its energy sources.

Related readings:  China's first nuclear power plant completes major overhaul  Nuclear power plant to undergo further expansion  Nuclear power plant generates controversy  China to double nuclear power capacity by 2020

Shandong in East China is one example of how this shift is playing out: There are plans afoot to build three nuclear power plants in the province, two in Weihai and one in Yantai.

The plants are expected to house five reactors with a combined capacity of more than 4,000 mW. Once these plants are finished, Shandong will become an important nuclear power base for the country.

Statistics show that nuclear power has become the third most important power source in China.

There are currently 11 nuclear reactors in operation, with a total capacity of around 8,000 mW.

The country's nuclear power plants generated 62.9 billion kWh last year, representing an increase of 14.6 percent compared with a year earlier, according to the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense.

"China's nuclear power industry has experienced a transition from appropriate development to accelerated development," Han Wenke, deputy director of the Energy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said.

At present, nuclear power accounts for less than 2 percent in the country's total power generation.

The authorities plan to increase the country's nuclear power capacity to 40,000 mW by 2020, which would take the sector's share of the total power industry to 4 percent.

Worldwide, nuclear power accounts for 16-17 percent of all power generation.

In countries like France, nuclear power even accounts for around 80 percent of the industry.

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