BEIJING, Feb.23 -- The country's reliance on nuclear energy is bound to grow, with new atomic power plants likely even in inland areas, industry experts said.

    Embarking on an aggressive expansion of nuclear power, China has announced plans to add 40 new nuclear generators by 2020, raising the share of electricity generated by atomic power to 6 percent of the total from the current 2 percent.

    The aim is to reduce reliance on heavily polluting coal, which is used to generate two-thirds of the country's electricity. Most of the nuclear facilities planned so far are expansions of existing facilities or new projects in eastern and southern coastal areas, where coal is relatively expensive.

    But northern and inland provinces are also eager to develop nuclear power, Shen Wenquan, deputy chief of the science and technology committee of China National Nuclear Power Corp., told a conference in Shanghai on Tuesday.

    "Nuclear power development is a must for China, especially in coastal areas," Shen said.

    "In the hinterland, Sichuan has also proposed a project and we have given our full support to that," he added. "I think there will be a necessary transition of plants from the coasts to the inland areas of China."

    Possible projects have been announced for Fujian, in the southeast, and eastern Shandong. In the northeastern province of Liaoning, planners expect to build up to six nuclear generators, Shen said.

    Work on an extension of the Qinshan nuclear power plant, near Shanghai, is due to begin next month, while construction of a new project at the Ling'ao nuclear plant, in Guangdong, is scheduled to start by the end of this year, he said.

    The country's newest nuclear power plant, Tianwan station north of Shanghai, started generating electricity in October and is due to begin commercial operations by the end of this year, with an eventual capacity of 60 to 70 billion kilowatt hours a year.

    Meanwhile, the government has made development of new nuclear power technologies, including nuclear fusion, a key strategic priority, said experts speaking at the Shanghai conference.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)