China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG), one of the two main nuclear power plant operators in the country, Monday said it was in talks with Vietnam to help build its first nuclear power project.

The company has signed a letter of intent with Vietnam's main power company for the project, the Shenzhen-based company said on its website, without giving details.

The project is to be located in Ninh Thuan, a southern coastal province in Vietnam. It is designed to have two 1,000-mW reactors, said a CGNPG executive who declined to be named.

The project is at an early stage now as it is still awaiting the final approval of the Vietnamese government, he said.

Vietnam, which has no nuclear power plants at present, plans to build nuclear power projects with a total capacity of 4,000 mW by 2021.

"Now we are competing with others, including companies from Japan, for the construction of the project," said the official.

"Besides the Vietnam project, we are also in talks with other countries such as Belarus," he said.

CGNPG started building the Yangjiang nuclear power plant in December. The plant is expected to generate 45 billion kWh of electricity each year.

The 70-billion-yuan plant will have six 1,000-mW units. The first unit will start operating in 2013. All the units will be finished by 2017.

China began building three nuclear power plants, at Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, last November.

This year, it will start constructing four nuclear power plants, Zhang Guobao, vice-Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an article published in People's Daily. Of the four, two are in Shandong, one in Zhejiang and the other in Guangdong.

(China Daily February 24, 2009)