Construction of two nuclear generators at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station, the largest cooperation project between China and Russia, began Wednesday in Lianyungang, a coastal city in east China's Jiangsu Province.
Construction of the first two units, the first phase of the project, with a total cost of approximately 26 billion yuan (over US$3 billion), started last October and is scheduled to finish in 2004. The other two units, the second-phase construction, which began Wednesday, are expected to be put into operation in 2005.
These four pressurized water reactor nuclear power generators, each with a generating capacity of one million kilowatts, will help improve China's energy structure and accelerate the national economic growth. The Tianwan Nuclear Power Station is expected to become China's key power supply center in the 21st century.
Purchase contracts worth over US$300 have been signed between China and companies from Germany, France and the United States, amongst others. Technicians at the power station have been sent abroad for training.
China now has four nuclear power projects under construction. The other three are the second and third phases of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station in east China's Zhejiang Province and the Ling'ao Nuclear Power Station in south China's Guangdong Province.
(Xinhua)
