Plant helps region cut emissions, add power

The Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant has remarkably reduced the carbon footprint of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said a senior manager of the facility.

The nuclear power plant, which is able to generate 15 billion kWh of electricity every year, has cut the region's carbon dioxide emissions - a greenhouse gas leading to global warming - by 11.5 million metric tons, or the equivalent of what 32,500 hectares of forest can absorb a year, said Chen Jian, general manager of the power plant.

Chen said that Guangxi used to be heavily reliant on hydroelectric power. However, as most of the water resources available for hydropower projects have been exploited, the region had to resort to other sources of energy to meet the rising need for electricity.