China's Largest Thermal Power Plant CompletedThe Beilun Power Plant, China's largest coal-burning electric plant with an installed capacity of three million kilowatts, has been completed and put into operation in Ningbo, coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province.With the backing of the Ningbo deep-water port to ship coal produced in the north, the plant is the first one of its kind in China to use loans from the World Bank. Its construction was divided into two phases and spans three Five-Year Plans from January 1988 to present. The plant costs a total of 17.7 billion yuan (2.13 billion U.S.dollars), with 870 million U.S. dollars in foreign capital. Its main equipment was acquired through international bidding, official source said. In the second-phase of construction, innovations were made to meet the requirements of international practice. The plant was completed 15 months ahead of schedule, according to the builder. The plant has an annual power generation capacity of 17 billion kilowatt-hour and will supply a plenitude of electricity to promote economic growth in Zhejiang and the whole east China. |
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