East China's Shandong Province is moving ahead with three nuclear power projects, which are expected to produce electricity by 2010.

The three projects are the Haiyang Nuclear Power Station in Yantai, Rushan Nuclear Power Station and Rongcheng Power Station in Weihai, sources with the Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission said Wednesday.

Statistics show that Shandong has a total generating capacity of 30 million kilowatts a year. The province can currently provide only half of the 70 million tons of coal burnt to produce this electricity, with the rest being brought in from other provinces.

It is estimated that the province's annual need for electricity-generation capacity will reach 50 million kilowatts in 2010. Hence, the province urgently needs to increase the proportion of nuclear power it produces.

The layouts for the three plants are quite similar, with an annual capacity of 4 to 6 million kilowatts. An investment of 40 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion) to 80 billion yuan (US$9.6 billion) will be needed for each of the three plants.

To date, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology have approved the preliminary feasibility reports for the Haiyang and Rushan plants. But all three projects are still waiting for the final approval from the central government.

Jilin project

In another development, Northeast China's Jilin Province is also considering building the province's first-ever nuclear power plant, according to local media reports.

China Electric Power Investment Corporation said it plans to invest 40 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion) to build a nuclear power station with a capacity of 4 million kilowatts, local media reported.

"Up to now, the company has already invested over 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) on preliminary construction," a senior official from the Baishan Development and Reform Commission was quoted as saying by the Shenyang-based East Asia Economy and Trade News.

Jingyu, a county in Northeast China's Jilin Province, has been selected as the site for the plant because of its geological features and rich water resources after research done by the company and a local institution.

This project will be the largest in the history of Jilin Province, said the newspaper.

However, the construction work schedule has not yet been revealed.

Jilin Province needs a generating capacity of 12 million kilowatts at present. However, production has so far lagged behind demand.

The construction of the nuclear power station would help solve this shortfall.