China's ambitious plans to build some 30 nuclear reactors within the next 15 years will provide vast opportunities for foreign architecture & engineering (A&E) companies to cash in on the expanding clean energy sector, industry authorities said.

"The gigantic project, which means building approximately two reactors each year, will see a great demand for professional services in fuel resources procurement, project management & consulting, as well as infrastructure engineering," said Zhao Chengkun, senior advisor with the preparatory office of State Nuclear Power Technology Corp of China (SNPTC).

He was speaking yesterday at a nuclear forum in Beijing.

China, the world's second largest energy consumer after the United States, now has a policy of "actively promoting nuclear power construction."

In an effort to satiate the country's surging power demands, China aims to have a total nuclear installed capacity of 40 gigawatts by 2020, which will make up 4 percent of the nation's aggregate power generation, from the current 2.3 percent.

When building nuclear plants in previous years, nuclear research institutes were responsible for the research and design of a whole project, which lacked an integrated chain for A&E services.

"But the old system only applied to small-scale nuclear plant construction, and does not suit the country's (new) scheme to massively drive the nuclear power generation," SNPTC's Zhao said on the sidelines of the forum.

Zhao thought the establishment of joint-ventures by Chinese and foreign firms would be one way of introducing professional A&E services.

China's nuclear industry has actually already begun to try and enhance the A&E ability of the country's existing nuclear project research institutes, noted Zhao.

"For example, the nuclear industry engineering research and design institute in Shanghai has improved the overall strength of its A&E arm," Zhao said.

Another concern relevant to China's aspirations to accelerate its nuclear plant construction regards the supply of the fuel source uranium.

According to Pan Ziqiang, director of the science & technology commission of the China National Nuclear Corporation, China has little in the way of uranium although more unproven reserves have yet to be explored.

"The country will beef up investment in exploring fuel resources for the growing number of nuclear power plants across the nation," Pan said yesterday at the forum.

He said that in recent years, the country has found a host of potential reserves of nuclear plant fuel, but did not elaborate.

Furthermore, around one third of the country has not yet been checked for uranium reserves, and areas that have been looked into are only tapped down to a depth of 500 metres.

"Places below 500 metres are believed to also be rich in uranium reserves," Pan added.

(China Daily July 27, 2005)