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China, France ink nuke energy co-op pact

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-22 09:28

BEIJING -- The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) Tuesday signed an agreement with the French Atomic Energy Commission to continue cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear power.

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The three-year agreement, the tenth of its kind, signed by CAEA director Chen Qiufa and his French counterpart Bernard Bigot, includes efforts in radioactive waste treatment, controllable nuclear fusion and personnel training.

The two agencies signed their first cooperation agreement in November 1982.

China is poised to revise its energy development plans by nearly doubling its nuclear power capacity in the next decade, with five nuclear power plants planned for construction this year, a move that could help the country to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel and minimize harmful effects on the environment.