CHINA
The Chinese government has announced that it will choose nuclear power plant suppliers through a process of open tendering after 2000, Reuters reports. In the past, nuclear projects have been set up through private negotiations.
The announcement comes in the wake of moves by the US government to ease the curbs on exports of nuclear equipment to China. This followed assurances from China that it would not export US technology to countries such as Iran.
Companies from Canada, France and Russia have already become involved in the construction of nuclear plants in China. The country has a current nuclear capacity of around 2100 MW. It wants to expand this to 20 000 MW during the first few decades of the next century.