China will witness rapid growth in the number of nuclear power stations after a 2005-20 blueprint for the energy sector was approved by a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday.

Nuclear power stations will be integral to the country's energy strategy and will play a significant role in enhancing national strength and technology, participants at the meeting agreed.

According to the blueprint, nuclear power is a strategic energy source and should be actively developed to meet the country's growing demand.

The plan stresses that China should rely on self-innovation while ensuring safety; and appropriately make use of foreign technology and resources .

China has six nuclear power stations with a capacity of 9 million kilowatts. Nuclear power accounts for 2 per cent of total power generation capacity.

Sources at the China Atomic Information Network said that by 2020, the country will increase nuclear power generation capacity to 40 million kilowatts, or 4 per cent of the total.

To reach the target, each year the country has to build a nuclear power station with a capacity of 1.8 million kilowatts, equivalent to that of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in Guangdong Province.

The blueprint said the development of nuclear power will also help the country reach a balance among energy consumption, economic development and environmental protection.

The State Council meeting also approved an urban planning (2005- 20) scheme for Tianjin Municipality in North China with the development of the port city's Binhai New Area (BNA) as the focus.

The new area is already the most profitable economic zone in the country. IT businesses there have notched up 12-per-cent profit margins, compared with an average of 5 per cent in the country, according to the Tianjin municipal government.

With an area of 2,270 square kilometres and a population of 1.4 million, BNA is considered a growth engine for North China and is widely expected to match the economic miracle achieved by Shanghai's Pudong New Area.

China Daily