China set to seal reactor deal

With revenues slowing in other parts of the world, foreign suppliers of nuclear power technology are looking to China and its soaring demand for energy to drive sales.

 

Westinghouse signed a framework agreement with China in March after a technology transfer agreement was reached by the US and Chinese governments.

 

The issue of transferring nuclear technology to China had raised security concerns among some US politicians, and had at one point threatened to block any deal.

 

Beijing is eager to promote nuclear power as an alternative to power plants fuelled by the country’s abundant but dirty coal resources.

 

China has 10 nuclear reactors in use or under construction and is expected to build another 32 by 2020.

 

Even so, according to a report last year by the International Energy Agency, by 2015 more than half of China’s power will be generated by coal-fired power stations with just 2.3 per cent contributed by nuclear power.

 

The new Westinghouse reactors will be built in the eastern cities of Sanmen in Zhejiang province and Haiyang in Shandong province, according to Xinhua.