China is expected to start work on four nuclear power stations in 2009, according to a senior government official.

The four power stations are in Haiyang, Rongcheng in eastern Shandong province, Sanmen in eastern Zhejiang province, and Yaogu in southern Guangdong province, Zhang Guobao, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an article published in People`s Daily yesterday.

"To further boost the development of nuclear power is an important measure for China to restructure its energy mix," said Zhang, who is also head of the National Energy Administration.

Compared with coal-fired power, which now accounts for over two-thirds of the country`s power generation, nuclear energy is more energy-efficient and environment-friendly, he said.

The Haiyang and Sanmen stations will use the AP1000 technology, a third-generation nuclear power technology. China last year signed an agreement with a consortium lead by the US-based Westinghouse Electric Co to build four 1,000-megawatt reactors in the two stations.

The Yaogu station in Guangdong will also use the third-generation technology, developed by the French nuclear company Areva. China last year signed an 8 billion euro agreement with Areva for the construction of two 1,700-megawatt reactors.

The Rongcheng station, developed by China Huaneng Group, will use the high-temperature, gas-cooled technology.

Huaneng had earlier said construction work on the 200 megawatt capacity plant would start in September next year. It is scheduled to start operations in 2013.

Analysts said construction of nuclear projects is an effective way to boost domestic demand, as they require large amount of investment and can boost many industries such as steel and cement.

China National Nuclear Corp, China`s largest nuclear company, on Monday signed agreements with eight domestic banks, under which the company got bank facilities of 350 billion yuan.

The company has also signed agreements with 10 banks for 11.8-billion-yuan loans in 2009.

The Beijing New Energy Auto Design and Manufacture Industry Base was formally settled at the Beiqi Foton Motor Company on December 28.

As China`s first base for manufacturing autos powered with new and clean energy, the base will play an extensive demonstration and leading role nationwide.

Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Minister of Science and Technology, together with Guo Jinlong, the mayor of Beijing, presented at the launching ceremony and conferred the base plaque to the Beiqi Foton Motor Company.

The base, backed by Foton Motor, covers an area of 1,000 mu (around 66.67 hectares), with a total investment of 5 billion yuan and an annual production capacity of 5,000 passenger cars of different types using alternative energy and new energy and 400,000 energy-efficient engines.

It owns three world-leading green energy technologies involving clean energy, alternative energy and new energy, and has established four major core design and manufacture engineering centers specializing in hybrid power, full-electric, hydrogen fuel cells and energy efficient engines, which have been widely used in Foton`s production of large and medium-sized buses and light, medium and heavy trucks. The products have received favorable market feedback.

At present, how to achieve commercialization of new energy vehicles is a common challenge for the world auto industry. The US, Europe and Japan all depend on their governments` financial subsidies to market and promote the new energy vehicles, however, China hasn`t put forward such corresponding policies yet.

Under the circumstances, Foton Motor, through its own efforts, has taken the lead in creating a healthy development path which combines research & development and marketing of new energy vehicles in the domestic market.

In January 2008, the Guangzhou Bus Company purchased 30 Foton hybrid-power passenger cars at one time, making it the biggest deal of new energy vehicles in China at that time.

Due to the autos` outstanding performance during actual operation with regard to energy conservation, environmental protection and cost reduction, Foton Motor recently received an additional order of over 200 hybrid-power passenger cars from Guangzhou.

In addition, Beijing Public Transport Holdings has also signed a contract with the Foton to purchase nearly 1,000 new energy buses.

The last batch of wind turbines were successfully hoisted on Chaotanbi Coast of Wenchang City, Hainan Province on Dec.28, which marked the first phase project of Huaneng Wenchang wind power plant was completed. Meanwhile, 33 sets of wind turbines with a unit installed capacity of 1500KW went into commercial operation. It’s reported Huaneng Wenchang wind power plant is one of the key projects during the “11^th Five-Year Plan” in Hainan Province. The installed capacity is expected to be 120,000KW, and total investment 1.3 billion yuan, Hainan Daily reports.

The empirical research project of a large-scale PV (photovoltaic) power station jointly developed by a Japanese new energy R&D institute, NEDO and Qinghai Provincial New Energy Research Institute was completed in Xining City, Qinghai Province, and switched into operation on Dec.26. It’s the largest grid-connected PV power station built by NEDO outside Japan, Xihai Metropolis Daily reports.

The project commenced construction in May 2006, and is estimated to be completed in January 2009. Covering an area of 15 mu, the station plans to install 300KW of solar cell components, with an annual generating capacity of 450,000kwh, which, through voltage boosting, will be connected to the 10KV Xining Municipal power distribution network. It’s the first system which incorporates solar PV power generation into the municipal high-voltage power grid system, as well as the first international case to produce stable electricity with the double-layer capacitor technology, which reaches the internationally advanced level and exhibits R&D demonstrative role.

The main reason why the empirical research project on China’s large-scale PV power station was carried out in Xining City is that Qinghai is one of the regions boasting rich solar energy resources worldwide. To convert solar energy into electric power can bring economic benefits into full play, said Liu Hong, director of Qinghai Provincial New Energy Research Institute.

Workers Friday began pouring the foundation for one of two new generating units planned as an addition to the first phase of the Qinshan nuclear power plant in Fangjiashan, Haiyan, on the northern coast of Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang Province.

The nuclear power plant, not far from Shanghai, is the first Chinese facility of its kind.

Each of the two pressurized reactors to be installed will have an installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts.

The two generating units will be operational by 2013 and 2014.

The State Nuclear Safety Bureau, an affiliate of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, also presented a construction permit for a civilian nuclear facility to China National Nuclear Corp, Friday.

The first phase of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant was the first nuclear power plant on the Chinese mainland built by domestic engineers. Construction of the plant began in 1985. It was built with a 300,000 kilowatt prototype reactor with a lifespan of 30 years It started generating power in 1991.

The plant also has second and third phases.

Chinese engineers have installed two generating units in the second phase and plan to add at least two more.

The third phase houses two Canadian CANDU heavy-water reactors.

According to the country`s long and mid-term development plan of nuclear power plants, China`s nuclear power installed capacity will reach 40 million kw by 2020 and will generate 260-280 billion kwh electricity each year, accounting for four percent and six percent of the country`s total.

China has nuclear power stations with 11 generating sets and an installed capacity of nine million KW. These generating units are with three phases of Qinshan, and Daya Bay, Lingao, both in Guangdong province, as well as Tianwan in Lianyungang, east China`s Jiangsu Province.

The first batch of 22 wind turbines of the first phase project of Huaneng Wenchang Wind Power Plant successfully achieved grid-connected power generation on Dec.22, to enter the 240-hour trial operation period. This is the first successful trial operation case of a MW-class wind power plant in Hainan Province, Xinhua Net reports.

It’s known from Huaneng Hainan Power Inc that Huaneng Wenchang Wind Power Plant has a total installed capacity of 120,000KW, including 33 sets of 1,500KW wind turbines, and a gross investment of about 554 million yuan. The approved installed capacity of 22 wind turbines in the first phase project amounts to 49,500KW, which are installed along the 7.66km-long coastline.

It’s reported the second batch of 11 wind turbines will realize grid-connected power generation by the end of December after 240 hours of trial operation.

According to a spokesman of Huaneng Wenchang Wind Power Plant, the designed annual on-grid electricity volume is 103 million kwh. Upon formal operation, the project can save more than 35,100 tons of standard coal, reduce around 679 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions and about 76,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year for the country.

According to www.cqn.com, the franchise bidding on Qiyueshan wind power project in Lichuan City, Hubei Province was held in Wuhan City on Dec.18. Based on the project plan, Qiyueshan wind farm project will commence construction early next year. The first phase project is to adopt 58 sets of 850KW wind turbines, with a total installed capacity of 49,300KW,

It is learned that there are abundant wind power resources in Lichuan City, within the territory of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. With 800,000KW of proven theoretic reserves, and 300,000KW to 500,000KW of exploitable reserves, it’s reputed as “The largest wind farm in Central China” by industry experts. The overall investment is estimated to be over 500 million yuan, and the construction period 15 months. Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is striving to build Lichuan Wind Farm into one of the top 20 wind farms in China.

Straw stalk is the world’s fourth largest energy source after coal, oil and natural gas. An International Energy Agency study shows straw stalk is a type of good clean renewable energy source. The caloric value of two tons of straw stalk is equivalent to that of 1 ton of coal, Xinmin Weekly reports.

China`s current annual output of crop stalks is about 650 million tons, and is expected to reach 726 million tons by the year 2010, equivalent to 350 million tons of standard coal; the annual exploitable amount of firewood and forest residue is more than 600 million tons. Straw stalk disposal has long been a headache. Surplus crop stalks directly burnt in the field every year have exceeded 200 million tons, which has not only wasted straw stalk, but also caused severe air pollution. Straw direct-fired power generation can not only save the primary energy, fully utilize waste straw stalk, significantly improve the local atmospheric environment and reduce a great deal of coal-fired greenhouse gas emissions, but the largest project to support agricultural development as well.

At present, the five domestic power giants and a number of private businesses are vying to build straw power plants in large agricultural provinces like Shandong and Henan.

Of course, as the domestic straw stalk market is not sound enough, the fuel cost for straw stalk power generation is too high, which has restricted the development of China’s straw stalk power generation industry. But in the long run, the straw stalk power generation project still have adequate space for development with its advantages in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and protecting environment.

On Dec.19, Suntech Power signed a contract with Shenergy Group, the energy equipment supplier of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. Suntech Power will be in charge of the design of China Pavilion, and the installation of 3MW solar PV power generation system. The project is expected to be completed in June 2009, when China`s largest building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) roof will stand in the world expo park on the bank of the Huangpu River.

It is reported that the overall installation area of crystalline silicon solar cell components of the solar PV power generation project in China Pavilion and Theme Pavilion is about 33,090 square meters. Upon completion, the project can save 24,400 tons of standard coal for the power grid, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2600 tons per year during its 25-year service lifetime. It will be China`s largest single solar photovoltaic power generation project, as well as the largest BIPV project.

China’s first desertified grid-connected PV station, Datang Wuwei Solar Power Station was put into production in Chengdong Science and Technology Demonstration Park of Wuwei City on the desert edge of Tengger Desert on the morning of Dec.19, Gansu Daily reports.

Datang Wuwei Solar Power Station project is China Datang Corporation Gansu Branch’s first attempt in the solar power generation field, and as well as China’s first desertified grid-connected solar power generation project. The project was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology on April 11, 2007, and started construction in April 26, 2008. And the National 863 Program research group, Nature and Energy Research Institute of Gansu Academy of Sciences. With an overall installed capacity of 1MW, the project will be built in two phases. The first phase project has an installed capacity of 0.5MW, and is estimated to generate 850,000KWH of electricity per year.

Deputy Governor of Gansu Province Shi Jun sent a congratulatory letter, in which it said the completion of the power station marks the successful implementation of China’s first desertified grid-connected PV station project in Gansu Province, and Gansu Province listed in the front rank of the national in developing new-type clean energy, which will be conducive to the promotion of PV power generation technologies in the province, and push forward the optimization and upgradation of the regional energy structure and the rapid development of clean energy as well.