ANKARA
China will bring a new generation of nuclear reactor on line in the country's east coast to diversify its energy sources to move towards nuclear power, according to the head of the State Nuclear Power in Shanghai.
China, the largest world-wide consumer and producer of electricity currently has 17 nuclear power plants in operation and 31 under construction. The country is aiming to have 60 nuclear power plants by 2020 and targets to reach 58 gigawatts electricity capacity through nuclear power.
Tests of the water reactor named "AP1000" are ongoing and plan to be connected to the grid by the end of next year, Binghua, Head of State Nuclear Power told Xinhua news agency on Thursday, and added that another similar reactor will be operational in another nuclear plant at the beginning of 2016.
China, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, produced 5.2 trillion kilowatt hours electricity in 2013 realising a 7.6 percent growth compared with the previous year. The country utilised 5.3 trillion kilowatt hours electricity by increasing 7.5 percent of its consumption, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
As one quarter of the world's population lives in China and due to its ever increasing energy demands, the energy-hungry country is likely to increase its nuclear power generation over the next few years.
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