By Xinhua

Beijing : China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG) and the provincial government of Hubei Tuesday signed an agreement here to build the country's seventh nuclear power plant in the central province.

The two sides said the project would be located in Xianning City, 421 km south-east of Yichang City.

The CGNPG declined to reveal the investment and scale of the project, as also when it would start the construction.

China currently has 11 nuclear generators in six nuclear power plants, all located along the eastern coast, with a combined installed capacity of 9.07 million kw.

The CGNPG's installed capacity is 3.95 million kw, or 43.5 percent of the total.

Faced with an energy crunch in the wake of its fast economic growth, China has decided to build more nuclear power plants. By 2020, the nation will have an installed nuclear power capacity of 40 million kw.

Meanwhile, another 12 nuclear generating units have been approved for construction, with a combined power capacity of 12.24 million kw.