CHINA'S State Nuclear Power Technology Corp Ltd and China National Technical Import and Export Corp signed deals yesterday with US-based Westinghouse Electric Co to build four nuclear power plants in China.
The deal will also see a transfer of core technologies for third-generation AP1000 reactors.
"The signing of these contracts is a great achievement of international nuclear industrial cooperation," said Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan when addressing the signing ceremony.
"It will help promote China's nuclear industry and bilateral cooperation in the energy and trade sectors. Meanwhile, it will contribute to the development of the world's nuclear industry," Zeng said.
The vice premier stressed the importance of security and quality of nuclear power projects and urged the companies from both sides to fully implement these contracts. The cost of the contracts was not revealed.
The first reactor adopting the third-generation AP1000 technologies would be built in Sanmen of east China's Zhejiang Province and put into commercial operation by the end of 2013, said Wang Binghua, board chairman of SNPTC.
"It will also be the first nuclear station using the AP1000 technologies in the world," said Wang.
AP1000 technologies are superior to previous ones because they uses less cable, piping and valves, cutting costs and reducing the need for large cooling towers and other equipment.
Safety is enhanced by using gravity instead of mechanical pumps to deliver cooling water to the reactor in an emergency, according to technicians.
China now has 11 nuclear reactors in operation. The nation's installed capacity of nuclear power stands at eight million kilowatts, accounting for just one percent of the total installed capacity of electric power, lagging far behind the world's average level.
China is expected to boost its installed nuclear power capacity to 40 million kilowatts by 2020 to account for four percent of the nation's power capacity in a bid to meet growing power demands and cut emissions.