China will put up a number of nuclear power projects for public bidding in the next one or two months, said a senior official Monday.

Vice Minister Zhang Guobao in charge of the State Development and Reform Commission told the World Energy Congress here that the projects will involve mega-watts pressurized water reactor nuclear power stations.

The projects will be the first in China's new nuclear power stations to be built over the next 16 years that will add a total of 30 thousand mega-watts to the country's power production capacity.

China's nuclear power production now only constitutes about 1.8 percent of the total electric power generated, but the rate will rise to 4 percent by 2020, he said.

Coal will continue to be the main energy source for China in the future, while the production of nuclear and renewable energy will be "moderately increased" to deliver sustainability, said Zhang.

China's rapid economic development and its huge demand of energy have created opportunities for world businesses, thus contributing to the world economy as a whole, he noted.

The opening up of China's energy market will be stepped up as China fulfills its WTO commitments and the improvement of its market economy, he assured the 2,000 audience, who include senior government officials, energy industry leaders and researchers from across the world.

He also described as inaccurate some reports which attribute the skyrocketing oil prices to China's huge fuel demand. The problem, he said, "has much to do with a complex of issues like the idle funds active in market speculation and the impact of the Iraq issue" instead.

The five-day World Energy Congress which opened Sunday is themed Delivering Sustainability Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy Industry.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2004)