China could struggle to meet 2020 nuclear targets: executive

[WorldNews]

By David Stanway and Matthew Miller BEIJING (Reuters) - China could struggle to meet its 2020 nuclear energy targets with the industry still waiting on a cautious government to speed up the approval process, a senior industry executive said on Saturday. China planned to raise its total installed nuclear capacity to 58 gigawatts (GW) by 2020, up from 20 GW now, but despite ending a freeze on new approvals late in 2013, the state has not yet given any new projects the full go-ahead following a nationwide safety probe in the wake of Japan's Fukushima crisis. "The country's determination to develop the nuclear industry has not changed but the planning has slowed a little," said Sun. "The target won't change, but it will need hard work, especially these next two years." Sun said he hoped his firm would win approvals for six reactors this year, with new units at Fuqing in Fujian province and Sanmen in Zhejiang likely to start construction.

 

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