Russia in China nuke plant expansion talks

Beijing, June 20: Russia hopes to conclude talks with China by end of this year over possible participation in the expansion of a nuclear power plant in eastern China, Xinhua reported, faster than some industry experts had expected.

Atomstroiexport, building contractor of Russia's atomic agency Rosatom, built two 1.075-gigawatt reactors in Tianwan in Jiangsu province, in a 1.6 billion dollars project led by state-run China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC).

The first one started commercial operations last month and the second is due at the end of this year, state media have reported.

Talks were under way concerning the addition of another two reactors of similar capacity, and Russia expected to complete plant designs by December, Xinhua reported, citing Rosatom's deputy chief Ivan Kamenskikh.

The countries hoped to extend ties in the sector, including jointly building nuclear power stations in a third country, Xinhua quoted the head of Atomstroiexport as saying, without giving details.

A Beijing-based nuclear official told Reuters earlier that serious talks on the Tianwan expansion may have to wait until 2008 when the Tianwan plant goes into full commercial operation.

Russia and France have been the earliest technology providers to China's nascent nuclear power industry, which now accounts for just under 3 per cent of China's generation capacity.

China recently also awarded a plant to US-based Westinghouse, which is majority owned by Japan's Toshiba Corp.

China, heavily reliant on coal for power, plans to spend some 50 billion dollars to build 30 reactors by 2020, raising its installed capacity to 40 GW -- nearly enough to power Spain -- or around 4 per cent of the country's total power capacity.

Reuters>