A representative from the National Energy Bureau of China said at a national energy working conference this week that China would invest up to CNY580 billion on electrical power in 2009 and quicken the construction of new energy sources such as nuclear power and wind power.

China will start the construction of a number of nuclear power stations this year, including the ones in Zhejiang Sanmen, Shandong Haiyang, and Guangdong Dongshan, with an approved output of 8.4 million KW. Also, from this year on, the country will also set up several wind power stations with a total output of over 10 million KW in regions including Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Jiangsu.

As part of this drive, China will speed up the construction of large-size coal power stations and close those small coal power stations, coal mines and oil refineries with backward facilities and low energy efficiency.

In 2009, China will initiate the prophase study of energy works for the 12th Five-year Plan period, which is expected to be compiled and ready for soliciting public opinion in the second half of the year.