Official: China to speed up nuclear power development

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- China's nuclear power capacity is expected to reach about 5 percent of the country's total power capacity by 2020, according to National Energy Administration (NEA) here Monday at a press conference.

The target is higher than the original one set in 2007, which aimed for a nuclear power capacity of 40 million kw by 2020, taking up 4 percent of the total power capacity.

NEA deputy head Sun Qin said that with a power capacity of 800 million kw at present and an estimated 1.4 billion kw to 1.5 billion kw by 2020, it is time to adjust the goal to match China's fast energy development.

Sun said no final plan has been created yet to meet the goal as it needs more work before it is reported to the State Council.

The country would raise not only the quantity but also the quality of its nuclear power generation in revised mid-and-long term plan on nuclear power development, according to the NEA.

"We expected to realize self-design, self-construction and self-management of our nuclear power facilities by 2020," Sun said.

At present, China's nuclear power takes up 2 percent of the total power generation, while coal-fired power covers more than 80percent of the total. About 15 percent of the world's power generation comes from nuclear energy.