Lufeng, a city in the east of South China's Guangdong Province, is emerging as the favourite location for the province's fourth nuclear power plant, with construction likely to start at the end of 2007.

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co Ltd confirmed the news to China Daily Monday.

Preparation for the fourth nuclear plant, part of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10), started two years ago. Four possible sites in Guangdong's eastern coastal area were put originally forward two each in Huilai County and Lufeng.

During a conference on the project on Friday and Saturday, both the Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province and Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding recommended the Tianwei District of Lufeng as the best choice.

"The site in Tianwei, Lufeng, has enough fresh water supplies and enjoys advanced land and water transportation facilities," said Yu Jiechun, an executive from Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding.

"The first phase of the project will be finished in 2013," Hu Guangyao, an official of Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding, said Monday. "Two 1-million-kilowatt nuclear generating units will be put into operation at that time, producing 15 billion kilowatt-hours a year."

But he would not predict a completion date for all six turbines or talk about the total investment.

Guangdong is also speeding up preparations for construction of another nuclear power plant in Yangjiang, a western coastal city. Construction of the nuclear reactor of that plant will officially begin by the end of 2006, Yu said.

The plant will include six generating units, each with installed production capacity of 1 million kilowatts.

The first two units will be finished in 2010, with the last one coming online in 15 to 20 years.

When all six turbines are operating, the project will generate more than 45 billion kilowatt-hours a year.

Guangdong already has two nuclear plants in operation. Daya Bay and Ling'ao nuclear power stations comprise four turbines, each with an output of 1 million kilowatts.

Due to rapid economic growth, the electricity shortage in Guangdong exceeded 3 million kilowatt-hours, or more than 10 per cent, last year, according to provincial authority statistics.

Hu said: "We hope that increasing nuclear electricity output will help ease Guangdong's energy crisis."

Source: China Daily