East China's Anhui Province plans to build its first ever nuclear power plant in Wuhu soon.

The move has been designed to help both ease the province's fast growing energy consumption and cut its increasing greenhouse gas pollution of coal power plants, the China News Agency reports.

To help boost the 50 billion yuan, or US$7.3 billion huge project, the province formally established in Wuhu on Sunday the Anhui Wuhu Nuclear Power Co.

A joint venture, the new power company is invested by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG), Anhui Province Energy Group, Shenergy Co., and Shanghai Electric Power Co. The CGNPG holds a 51 percent stake of the venture.

Once completed, the Wuhu nuclear power plant will generate around 30 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year to equally fuel both Anhui and Shanghai.

At present, about 95 percent of Anhui's electricity is supplied by coal power plants that are widely believed to be the major source of Anhui's deteriorating air pollution. By 2010, the province's total power consumption will further amount to over 74 billion kW hours a year.

According to a senior official with the CGNPG, construction of the nuclear power plant is expected to start soon following a feasibility study report for the project that has just been completed.

The Anhui and Shanghai governments and the CGNPG signed the contract on the cooperation on the construction of the plant in May 2007.

(CRIENGLISH.com October 13, 2008)