Construction will officially begin on China's biggest nuclear power plant in 2006 in Yangjiang, a port city in Guangdong province, the Guangdong Nuclear Power Co said.
Companies from the US, Japan and France are now competing with domestic firms to bid for the design of the project, which will include six generating units with a capacity of one million kilowatts each.
The first two generating units will be able to start generating electricity in 2010, while all six generating units will come on line in 15 to 20 years.
Construction of the nuclear power plant is estimated to cost more than US$8 billion.
Guangdong already has two nuclear plants in operation and is planning to build another in Shenzhen's Daya Bay in 2006.