Building of nuclear power plants in Harbin still uncertain

Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom's attempt to build two nuclear power plant (NPP) units in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is a one-sided wish, a person familiar with the matter told the Global Times Tuesday.

Rosatom has been invited to build two NPP units in Harbin, the ITAR-TASS News Agency reported Thursday, citing Rosatom's deputy director-general Gennady Sakharov.

"A Rosatom delegation will go to Harbin shortly to hold talks and assess the construction site for the units," Sakharov said.

Both China's Ministry of Commerce and the city government of Harbin did not respond to e-mailed inquiries sent by the Global Times by press time.

"So far Rosatom has not held any serious talks with Chinese authorities on the issue," the person said on condition of anonymity.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Shanghai in May, he expressed his hope that Russia and China will continue to strengthen cooperation in fields including nuclear energy and aviation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Rosatom's head Sergei Kiriyenko said in early June that Russia had offered to build a nuclear power plant in China as the Chinese government planned to build nuclear power plants in inner regions that were badly in need of electricity, and Russia has the extensive experience of building and operating nuclear power plants in inner regions, ITAR-TASS reported.

Currently most nuclear energy plants in China are located in coastal regions, and the country has no nuclear power plants in its inland areas.

Wang Yumin, deputy director of the National Energy Administration, told the National Business Daily in March that China's nuclear plant projects along the coast will be started first, and that inland projects will be listed in the next five-year plan.