China to raise nuclear power in energy supply
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-01 14:29

"Nuclear power is going to be an important pillar in the electricity-mix" in coastal areas where power demand is high, said Zhang Huazhu, vice-minister in charge of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, in Beijing at a press conference.

With Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the first ever NPP in China, starting operation in 1991, there have been 9 nuclear power plants in operation in the country by July 2004, whose total capacity reached 7010 million watts, said Zhang, who is also chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA).

The total capacity of nuclear power in China is expected to reach 9,130 million watts in 2005, when the Tianwan NPP in Jiangsu Province is accomplished and put into operation, Zhang said.

The nuclear-generated electricity in the mainland of China accumulated to 43.8 GWH in 2003, of which 41.5 GWH was transmitted to the power grid. And in coastal Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, the nuclear electricity exceeded 13 percent of the total provincial power output, according to Zhang.

However, according to figures from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, nuclear-generated electricity accounts for only about 1.4 percent of China's total power supply, compared to 16 percent in developed countries.

"China is expected to obtain over 4 percent of its power supply, or 36 million kilowatts, from nuclear plants by 2020," said Zhang with the CAEA.

China also carries out studies on uses of nuclear energy in other forms, said Zhang, noting that Isotopes and radiological technologies are widely applied in China in sectors of health, agriculture, environmental protection and public security.

There are more than 300 institutions engaged in nuclear technology for civilian applications across the country by the end of 2003, with a general output of 40 billion yuan in this industry, he said.

He predicted that the output from the industry of isotope and radiation technologies will exceed 100 billion yuan in 2010.

Stressing China's particular attention to nuclear safety, Zhang said that the government has "established a safety supervision and management system and nuclear safety standard in line with international practices."

Zhang pledged that with the promising prospect for the uses of nuclear energy in the country, China is willing to cooperate with other countries and international organizations in this field based on equality and mutual benefit in the peaceful use of nuclear power.

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