The construction of the plant started Sunday in Changjiang County of Hainan province with an estimated investment of 19 billion Yuan ($2.78 billion), Xinhua news agency reported.
The new plant will consist of two water reactors, with a capacity of 650,000 kw each. The first reactor will be completed and connected to the grid by the end of 2014, the provincial government said.
China's nuclear power giants, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China Huaneng Group (CHG), will jointly finance and develop the project, Xinhua said.
Hainan needs more energy to sustain and boost its rapid development as an international tourist destination. The safe and clean nuclear power was chosen to avoid affecting the island's ecology, said provincial governor Luo Baoming.
The province has little coal resource, while 66 percent of its hydropower resource has been utilised, leaving little potential for future development, Luo added.
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