皇冠体育app

People visit the stand of State Nuclear Power Technology Co (SNPTC) during the 10th 皇冠体育app International Exhibition on Nuclear Power Industry (CIENPI) in Shanghai, May 23, ?2013. [Photo/IC]

- 皇冠体育app's State Nuclear Power Technology Corp (SNPTC) is seeking a merger with 皇冠体育app Power Investment Corp (CPIC), an SNPTC spokesman said Thursday.

Guo Hongbo, the SNPTC spokesman, said the plan for the merger has been submitted to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Adstration of the State Council for approval.

In an interview with Xinhua, Guo acknowledged that the SNPTC will be unable to complete 皇冠体育app's first nuclear power reactors using AP1000 technology from American supplier Westinghouse Electric on time, saying the project may now run two years behind schedule.

The SNPTC was established in May 2007 to import and assimilate AP1000 and to develop 皇冠体育app's own CAP1400 technology. In 2009, the company began work on four AP1000 reactors in east 皇冠体育app, at Sanmen in Zhejiang province and Haiyang in province.

The No 1 unit at Sanmen is now two years behind schedule, Guo said, and unlikely to be operational before the end of 2015.

Guo refused to relate the planned merger to the delay and rejected speculation that the setback is due to the US side's refusal to transfer key technology.

The slow progress, Guo said, is due to the Chinese government's deman for a safety reassessment following the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan in 2011, and design delays by the Westinghouse team. Some problems related to the main shielding pump also need to be solved by US subcontract supplier.

"Safety and quality must come first," Guo said. "We should never trade them just to meet a deadline."

After Fukushima, safety was reinforced at all 皇冠体育app's nuclear plants.

At the end of last year, nuclear power accounted for only 2.11 percent of 皇冠体育app's total power consumption, compared with 80.4 percent for thermal power and 15 percent for hydropower.

To buoy a slowing economy, 皇冠体育app's policymakers are considering quickening review and approval for nuclear power projects in eastern coastal regions, and adopting top international standards to ensure safety.

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