Hubei site for China's 1st inland nuke plant

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-12-8  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

HUBEI Province in central China is preparing for the building of the country's first inland nuclear plant, a local official said yesterday.

Local authorities have relocated residents from the land designated for the plant in Xianning City, and completed road construction for the project, an official from the city's planning commission said.

The cost of the first two phases of the project, with an installed capacity of 4 million kilowatts, is estimated at 50 billion yuan (US$7.3 billion). The third phase could cost 45 billion yuan.

Construction will start as soon as the environmental assessment report is approved, the official added.

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group and Hubei agreed in March to jointly build the plant. The group and Hubei Energy Group set up a joint venture, Hubei Nuclear Power Ltd Co, in June to develop nuclear power in the province.

China has 11 nuclear plants at six sites on the east coast, with a combined installed capacity of 9.07 million kilowatts. The capacity of the project is equivalent to 43.5 percent of the total.