By Rong Xiandong (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-08-08 11:38

China is expected to sign a deal with Areva, a French provider of technological solutions for nuclear power generation and transmission, on technology introduction, another big deal on nuclear power for the country following the agreement with US company Westinghouse, according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

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The French company will soon sign a contract with Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, a Chinese State-owned enterprise, in which the Chinese firm will build two European pressurized water reactors in South China's Guangdong Province using the French partner's technology.

The total installed capacity of the reactors is an expected 3.20 million kilowatts (kW).

China plans to build 30 nuclear power plants mainly using technology from Westinghouse and Areva by 2020, when the country's combined installed capacity will reach 40 million kW, five times the current level.

So far China has established four nuclear power plants in Zhejiang and Shandong provinces in cooperation with Westinghouse, with a combined installed capacity of 4 million kW.

China hopes to construct nuclear power plants with proprietary intellectual property rights in the future.