China's first nuclear plant celebrates 30 safe years

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Qinshan Nuclear Power Station, China's first self-developed nuclear power plant, saw its 30th anniversary of safe power generation, said the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Located in east China's Zhejiang Province, the plant became operational on Dec. 15, 1991, ending the history of no nuclear power on the Chinese mainland, the CNNC said at a forum Wednesday.

Possessing nine operating units, the plant currently has a total installed capacity of 6.6 million kilowatts with an annual power generation of about 52 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), said the CNNC.

As of Wednesday, the plant has generated more than 690 billion kWh of electricity, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 653 million tonnes, it said.

China now has a complete nuclear industry and industrial chain, capable of large-scale nuclear power development, said CNNC President Yu Jianfeng.