China plans new nuclear stations along east coast

China plans to initiate the construction of nuclear power stations along its east coastline, a spokesperson from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has said.

Li Pumin, secretary-general of the NDRC, said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday that the construction will be carried out under strict safety protocols.

Liu Baohua, head of the nuclear power division of the NDRC, said private capital is also being encouraged to invest in the nuclear power sector to help improve management.

Officials from the NDRC did not specify the names of the stations but previous media reports said nuclear power stations at Hongyanhe and Huludao in Northeast China's Liaoning province as well as Lufeng, Guangdong Province are waiting for approval.

Wu Libo, a professor from Fudan University, told the Global Times that she believes the new round of construction is inspired by the goal of increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in China's energy consumption to 20 percent by 2030, a target set by Chinese President Xi Jinping in November following a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Beijing.

Wu described the goal as "challenging" and said "China must rely on nuclear power to achieve it."

Lin Boqiang, an energy expert from Xiamen University projected that China needs around 130 nuclear power stations each generating a million kilowatts of power to achieve the goal.

China currently has 21 nuclear power units with capacity of around 19 million kilowatts. Some 27 units are under construction, which enables the country to generate an extra of 29.5 million kilowatts of power, the Beijing Times reported.

"In the future, it will be inevitable for China to start building nuclear stations inland," Lin told the Global Times.

China suspended the approval of new nuclear stations and conducted wide-ranging safety inspections after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear leakage in March 2011.