Nuclear power generation still low in China

HARBIN - Gross generation of electricity in China reached 4.8 trillion kilowatt-hour (kwh) in 2012, with the nuclear power only accounting for two percent, according to the Chinese Nuclear Society.

The society announced at an annual meeting held on Thursday that nuclear power in 2012 produced 98 billion kwh, only two percent of the whole electricity output of the country.

Nuclear power production around the world accounts for 15 percent of the gross generation of electricity, through a total of 437 nuclear power stations.

China has 17 commercial nuclear power generating units, with an installed capacity of 14.74 million kilowatts, while another 28 units, with a total installed capacity of 30.56 million kilowatt, are under construction. According to a nuclear power development plan, the capacity of nuclear power of China will reach 58 million kilowatts in 2020.

"Although the peaceful application of nuclear power has become popular around the world, the proportion in China is much lower than the international level," said Zhang Guobao, director of Expert Advisory Committee under the National Energy Administration.

This low figure for China is due to some nuclear power accidents in other countries having an impact on the development of domestic nuclear power, and domestic technology also hampers the development, Zhang said.

With the theme of "Opportunities and Challenges", more than 1,200 experts, professors and scholars have participated in the annual meeting, held this year in Harbin, capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, discussing problems and offering suggestions in various fields of nuclear power.