China Starts Building Advanced Nuclear Reactor

China is excavating foundations for a nuclear reactor in Sanmen City in the eastern Zhejiang Province.

The reactor is expected to go into commercial operation in 2013 and will be the world's most advanced, according to chinadaily.

The No 1 reactor will use third-generation AP1000 technology, transferred from the US-based Westinghouse Consortium.

The development is part of a wider deal with Westinghouse, which will see a second reactor built in Sanmen City and two in Haiyang City in the eastern Shandong Province.

The government aims to achieve a national nuclear capacity of 40 million kilowatts by 2020, accounting for four percent of the country's total.

By staff writer