China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG) and the Hubei provincial government on Tuesday signed an agreement in Beijing to build the country's first inland nuclear power plant.

The two sides said the project will be located in Xianning City, 421 kilometers southeast of Yichang City where the Three Gorges Dam lies.

The CGNPG declined to reveal the investment and scale of the project, as well as when it would start construction.

China currently has 11 nuclear generators in six nuclear power plants, all located along the eastern coast, with a combined installed capacity of 9.07 million kilowatts. The CGNPG's installed capacity is 3.95 million kw, or 43.5 percent of the total.

Faced with an energy crunch resulting from its fast economic growth, China has decided to develop more nuclear power. By 2020, the nation will have an installed nuclear power capacity of 40 million kw, accounting for 4 percent of its total installed generating capacity.

At present, another 12 nuclear generating units have been approved for construction, with a combined power capacity of 12.24million kw.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2008)