Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that China's nuclear power construction has entered a crucial stage, when he inspected Dayawan Nuclear Power Plant in south China's Guangdong Province recently.

Wen said relevant government departments should establish an overall plan for their construction, nailing down the scale and layout of nuclear power projects.

"China should build up a self-reliant nuclear power industry system," Wen said.

He said that it is necessary to introduce advanced technology from overseas to improve China's own atomic energy research and development capacity.

He said all nuclear power projects should be constructed in the principle of putting security and quality first. Relevant regulations and system should be improved and nuclear accident emergency system should be built as soon as possible.

The year 2005 was the 50th anniversary of China's foundation of nuclear power industry. Wen said that he sincerely appreciated those working at the front-line of the country's nuclear power industry.

With Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) starting operation in 1991, there have been 9 nuclear power plants in operation in China by July 2004, whose total capacity reached 7.01 million kilowatts.

As an important shift in the country's energy development strategy, China is taking steps to increase the proportion of nuclear power in its overall energy supply and make it an important element of energy development in future.

China will generate 36 million kw of nuclear electricity in 2020, accounting for more than 4 percent of its total installed power generating capacity, a Chinese top official in atomic energy said a few months ago.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2005)