Chinese workers began construction of the nuclear island for the second phase of Ling'ao Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Tuesday.

Two pressurized water reactors, each with a generating capacity of 1 million kw, will be installed in the second phase construction. Concrete pouring will begin in December 2005, said sources from Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, the developer of the nuclear plant.

Information from China Guangdong Nuclear Power Engineering Co. Ltd., the builder of the project, said that the two generating

units would begin operation respectively in December 2010 and August 2011.

The Ling'ao Nuclear Power Plant already has two operational generators. Additional two nuclear generators are in operation in its nearby Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.

On completion of the second phase, the Daya Bay region will be able to produce a total of 6 million kw, capable of generating 40 billion kw/hours of electricity a year.

Nuclear power development plays an important role in alleviating power shortages in the Pearl River Delta, one of China's economic powerhouses, said a spokesman for Guangdong Nuclear Power Group.

China will generate 36 million kw of nuclear electricity in 2020, accounting for over 4 percent of its total installed power generating capacity, according to Zhang Huazhu, vice-minister in charge of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.