(Yicai) Feb. 20 -- The construction of the first phase of the Jinqimen Nuclear Power Station has officially begun in Ningbo, China's eastern Zhejiang province.

The CNY44.6 billion (USD6.2 billion) first phase of the Jinqimen Nuclear Power Station, which will be equipped with China's self-developed third-generation nuclear power reactor Hualong One, kicked off construction on Feb. 18, The Paper reported yesterday.

The Jinqimen Nuclear Power Station, to be built and operated by a 50:50 joint venture between China National Nuclear and Zhejiang Provincial Energy Group, will have six Hualong One power units for a total installed capacity of about 7,200 megawatts, sending around 55 million megawatt-hours of electricity to the power grid every year.

The Jinqimen Nuclear Power Station is the fourth nuclear power station to be built in Zhejiang province after the Qinshan, Sanmen, and San'ao nuclear power plants.

China's State Council approved the construction of the first phase of the Jinqimen Nuclear Power Station, which would include two Hualong One reactor units with a power of 1,215 MW each, at a meeting at the end of last year.

At the same meeting, the State Council also approved the construction of the third and fourth reactor units at China General Nuclear Power's Taipingling Nuclear Power Station in southern Guangdong province.

China is actively promoting the construction of nuclear power projects, as the country expects to double its nuclear power generation ratio to the total to 10 percent by 2025. The State Council has given the green light to 10 new nuclear power units per year in the past two years.

Editor: Futura Costaglione