Government and Policy

Jiangsu coast may get boost with manmade islands

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-11-02 16:02

Scientists have been granted 16.45 million yuan ($2.46 million) to research the feasibility of constructing two artificial islands on the 25,000 square kilometers of underwater dunes by the coast of East China’s Jiangsu province, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

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According to a research report, developing the dunes into artificial islands will be crucial to the success of the development strategy of Jiangsu’s coastal area.

The utilization of the dunes will solve "for good" the problem that the province lacks good large seaports, said Gao Shu, head of both the research program and the School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences of Nanjing University.

Started in 2010, the research program will last until 2014. Two islands with a total area of 1,000 square kilometers are expected to be built by 2020, said Gao.