New nuclear plants planned

China will begin building two nuclear plants in Northeast China's Liaoning Province and East China's Shandong Province next year, state media reported, citing a National Development and Reform Commission official. The Liaoning plant at Hongyanhe – the first nuclear plant in Northeast China – will cost US$2.8 billion, have two 1,080 megawatt reactors and would be operational from 2011. The Shangdon plant in Haiyang would have two 1,000-MW reactors, but further details were not available. China National Nuclear Corp would build the reactors using China's nuclear technology CPR 1000.