China’s power generation capacity crosses 900 million kW

With the start-up of a new reactor in the Lingao nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, China's installed power generation capacity crossed 900 million kilowatt (kW) mark, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported yesterday.

Zhang Ping, director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) acclaimed the achievement as ''a new stage of development'' for China's power industry, while speaking at a forum in Beijing on nuclear power development.

China, the world's second-largest producer and consumer of electricity, has come a long way towards the healthy development of the country's electricity industry. Since the formation of the nation in 1949, it took almost four decades to achieve a power generation capacity of 100 million kW from 1.85 million kW, according to NDRC.

In 2005, China's installed power generation capacity attained 510 million kW.

Zhang said the country would continue to transform the growth pattern of the electricity industry and further facilitate its restructuring by producing more clean energy.

During the eleventh five-year plan (2006-2010) period, China has reduced the capacities of small thermal power plants by 71 million kW to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.