China today said it will have 30 million kilowatts of nuclear power capacity by the end of this year and it will be increased to 58 million kilowatts by 2020 with an investment of USD 16.34 billion every year.
Currently there are 23 nuclear power units operating in China, with a combined capacity of 21.4 million kilowatts. Twenty-nine units are being built or planned, Xu Yuming, deputy director of the China Nuclear Energy Association said.
The government plans to increase China's total nuclear power capacity to 58 million kilowatts by 2020, a rise of 170 per cent over the current level.
Xu estimates that this will require 100 billion yuan (16.34 billion US dollars) of investment every year.
It is expected that China's electricity usage will double by 2030, Xu said.
Efforts should be made to promote clean energy including nuclear power, he was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
Last month, China approved the construction of pilot nuclear power units using the Hualong One technology, a domestically-developed third generation reactor design drawing on the world's leading design philosophy.
The homegrown technology will help contribute to industrial upgrades and steady economic growth.
