Officials in China say the government plans to build 40 nuclear power plants over the next 15 years to increase the production of electricity.
Chinese state media quote officials from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry as saying Beijing plans to increase the proportion of electricity generated by nuclear power from the current 2.5 percent to four percent in 15 years.
Most of the plants will provide electricity for China's east coast.
China now relies on coal for some 70 percent of its energy demands. But officials are increasingly worried about the pollution from coal fired power plants and the hazards of China's coal mines, which are the deadliest in the world.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP.