40 nuke power plants planned

To meet rising energy demand and reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants, China plans to build 40 nuclear power stations in the next 15 years, making nuclear the east coast's primary energy source, state media reported, citing a government official. Speaking at a symposium, Zhang Fubao, an official with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, said China's nuclear industry's generating capacity could reach 40m kilowatts by 2020.