The government has approved the first-phase construction of Haiyang nuclear power station in Shandong province, one of China's third-generation nuclear power projects based on the advanced AP1000 technology.

Two nuclear power generating units will be built in phase I in Shandong, each with an installed capacity of 1.25 million kilowatts. The nuclear units will be put into operation in May 2014 and March 2015 respectively, according to a statement from the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp (SNPTC) on its website.

The Haiyang nuclear project is the second in China that is equipped with the AP1000 technology, the third-generation nuclear power reactor designed by US-based Westinghouse Electric Co.