China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Co has received approval to
begin development of two renewable energy projects, one in Gansu
and another in Sichuan Province.
"A substantial breakthrough on the Sichuan hydropower project
has been achieved as Guangdong Nuclear has received approval for
the Fujiang River program from the Sichuan provincial authority,"
the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission
said in a statement.
The hydro station in Sichuan is scheduled to start operation in
2009, generating 500 million kilowatt-hours of power a year, the
firm said.
Guangdong Nuclear also plans to generate 117 million
kilowatt-hours of electricity from a wind farm in Gansu by the end
of 2007 after an investment of 399 million yuan.
The nation has high hopes for the development of renewable
energy resources, said Han Wenke, director of the Energy Research
Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission.
It is natural for energy companies to expand into different ways
of producing power, he said.
"Nuclear power is a clean energy, though it is not renewable.
Guangdong Nuclear should be encouraged to further tap into the
environmentally friendly renewable energy segment," Han added.
As a major coal producer and consumer, China plans to spend 1.5
trillion yuan over the next 15 years to develop renewable sources
for energy, including sun power, wind and biomass.
Guangdong Nuclear is diversifying into renewable energy to tap
China's growing demand for cleaner-burning fuels, Bloomberg said
yesterday.
Han Xiaoping, executive vice-president of Beijing Falcon Pioneer
Technology Co Ltd, advised Guangdong Nuclear to remain focused on
its core business while tapping into other fields.
"The firm should further strengthen efforts in nuclear capacity
building and research," Han said. "That is because nuclear power,
as a clean energy option, also deserves further development in
China."
As China's second-largest nuclear reactor builder, Guangdong
Nuclear has about 4,000 megawatts of nuclear power capacity in
operation in Guangdong Province.
(China Daily February 16, 2007)