The lifting last week of the US embargo on the sale of nuclear material to China allows Westinghouse and General Electric to compete in a market dominated by French, Canadian and Russian firms. The two groups are among 80 foreign firms taking part in the fifth China International Nuclear Industry Exhibition which opened Monday in Beijing. To break into the China market GE has formed a consortium with Japan's Hitachi and Toshiba while Westinghouse has linked up with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Spain's Sepi Nuclear Group.
China now has two nuclear power plants in service and four under construction.
The ninth five-year plan did not envisage any more but foreign experts say another project might still be announced. They point out that a nuclear power station at Ling'Ao was awarded to a Franco-British consortium at the end of the eight plan in 1995. GE has developed the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor but the Chinese may be reluctant to introduce a fourth type of technology, sources said. In addition to PWR the Canadians have introduced a Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor and the Russians a pressurised water reactor of the VVER type.