Dayawan Nuclear Plant generated 9.2 pct of Guangdong's power last year
Shanghai. February 24. INTERFAX-CHINA - Shenzhen City's Dayawan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong Province produced 40.5 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2011, some 9.2 percent of Guangdong's total power consumption last year, China Southern Power Grid Corp. (CSG) said Feb. 24.
The RMB 40 billion ($6.35 billion) nuclear power plant became operational in 1994. It is comprised of six reactors totaling 6.10 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity.
Guangdong adopted nuclear power relatively early due to its lack of fossil fuels and hydropower resources, Shanghai-based power industry expert Yang Sili told Interfax. The province currently produces roughly half of China's nuclear power, he said.
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) statistics show China produced 86.35 TWh of nuclear power in 2011, a 16.87 percent year-on-year increase.
Guangdong is facing power shortfalls of between six and 10 GW this year, the Guangdong Power Grid Corp warned Feb. 16. To combat future shortages, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) is currently building two nuclear power plants, the Yangjiang and Taishan plants.
The new facilities will have 10 reactors between them, each of more than one GW, and are scheduled to come on-stream late 2013, said the company.
CGNPC forecast in January that Guangdong's nuclear power output will reach 90 TWh per year by 2015.
-WV