China's Anhui Province has formed a joint company that will invest a total of 50 billion yuan (US$7.3 billion) to build its first nuclear plant which will also supply half of its power to Shanghai.

The plant, to house four pressurized water reactors, will be capable of producing 30 billion kilowatt-hours a year once completed, according to a statement on the Website of the provincial government yesterday.

The Wuhu City-based plant will distribute half of its generation to Shanghai under a program which aims to transmit power from energy-rich Anhui to Shanghai, whose energy consumption stood at 107.2 billion kilowatts an hour last year.

The statement didn't specify a time frame for the plant, but said the project has been included by both governments in their 2011-2015 development blueprints.

A feasibility study on the plant has been concluded and the project is waiting final approval from the central government. The venture is 51 percent owned by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co, according to Shenzhen-listed Anhui Wenergy Co which takes 15 percent. Shanghai's Shenergy Co and Shanghai Electric Power Co hold 20 percent and 14 percent respectively.

China, which sites its nuclear power plants mainly along coastal regions, has started to allow inland provinces to develop clean energy to cope with increasing power demand.

Similar ventures have been set up in inland provinces including Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, which have submitted plans for their nuclear plants for final approval by the central government.

China is eying to boost nuclear's portion in the nation's total installed power capacity to over 5 percent by 2020, from 4 percent, as several inland provinces have emerged as sites for new plants.

(Shanghai Daily October 14, 2008)