IN BRIEF (Page 13)

NDRC's 2012 tasks outlined

Zhou Wangjun, deputy director of the Price Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Tuesday that one of the NDRC's major tasks this year will be to maintain stable supply and prices for the energy-resources market.

Zhou said the government will regulate the price of coal and electricity, and clear up irregular coal-related charges.

State Grid in AES unit talks

State Grid Corp of China has had talks with US power company AES Corp about taking a controlling stake in its US wind power business, sources said, as China's cash-flush State-owned power companies go on an overseas buying spree. It wasn't clear how much State Grid would pay for the assets.

Nuclear plant to start operations

The Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant in Wafangdian, Liaoning province, will start generating electricity at the end of this year, following the International Atomic Energy Agency's three-week safety inspection. Construction is under way on the first four 1,000-megawatt units.

The project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in April 2006.

Housing policy gets rethink

The China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday that Shanghai might suspend a policy allowing people who have held Shanghai resident cards for more than three years to buy a second home. The policy was confirmed by a municipal housing official to the local media for the first time last week, triggering rumors that the city's housing regulations would be eased.

China Daily - Agencies

(China Daily 02/29/2012 page13)