It did not say which nuclear technology would be used or when the project’s construction was scheduled to begin and end. “We will build six 1,000-megawatt reactors at Haiyang in East China’s Shandong province, as well as four similar ones at Hongyanhe, Dalian in Liaoning province,” the China Daily quoted a senior director of the firm as saying.

China relies on coal for 70 percent of its booming energy demand. It has the biggest coal mining industry in the world, but also the most dangerous: last year, more than 6,000 people were killed in mining accidents nationwide. Coal burning has also contributed to China’s environmental woes, and the country is the world’s second-largest producer of greenhouse gasses.

Liu Changqing, the senior director with the China Power Investment Corp., told the newspaper the central government had already given preliminary project approvals, including the environmental protection and safety assessments. Further “procedures” needed to be examined by the National Development and Reform Commission before infrastructure construction could start, it said. China is investing some 400 billion yuan ($48 billion) in building 30 nuclear reactors by 2020, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation.

The Russian Atomstroyexport is constructing two 1,000-megawatt units at Tianwan NPP. At the moment the preparation for the fuel loading in the first reactor is in progress and should took place this month. The Atomstroyexport is also taking part in the tender for construction of the four reactor units in China.

China now has nine reactors, generating around 2.3 percent of its electricity, Reuters reported.