Construction is underway on the main part of a nuclear power project at Hinkley Point in Britain, funded partly by Chinese investment.
The progress of the development of the power plant was revealed by Tan Jiansheng, vice president of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), at a press conference Tuesday.
As a flagship project of China-Britain cooperation, Hinkley Point C is co-invested by a CGN-led Chinese consortium and French state-owned power giant EDF, with the Chinese side holding a one-third stake in the project.
File photo of construction work underway on the nuclear power project at Hinkley Point, UK. /Photo by China News Service
The two sides struck the final agreement on the 18 billion-British pound project with the UK government in September last year. It will be the first new nuclear power plant to be built in Britain for more than 20 years.
According to Tan, CGN's stake in the project accounts for 33.5 percent of the total shares, and upon completion, Hinkley Point C will provide seven percent of Britain's electricity.
He added that during the 60-year operational time span, the project will help to cut carbon dioxide emissions by nine million tons every year, and will employ about 900 workers.
Hinkley Point B nuclear power station, operated by Electricite de France SA's (EDF), right, stands near to groundworks for Hinkley Point C near Bridgwater, UK. /VCG Photo
During the construction, the project is expected to provide 25,000 posts, which will serve to improve the industrial chain, the employment and the talent training in fields related to the nuclear power, said Tan.
It will also help the export of the industrial chain of Chinese nuclear power, he added.
CGN and EDF are cooperating on another two British nuclear projects at Sizewell and Bradwell. The Bradwell project will use the Hualong One design, China's third-generation nuclear reactor design, if the technology passes British regulatory inspections.
(Source:Xinhua)
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