China has announced a major nuclear power development initiative to construct offshore nuclear power projects, reports Shanghai Daily.

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"The decision will help unleash the industry's potential," said Zhuang Huolin, chief engineer of China Nuclear Engineering Corp.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, made the announcement on Thursday, adding that all of its planned nuclear projects will comply with the highest international security standards.

The Commission has also stepped up efforts to draft administrative rules for nuclear power, says Liu Baohua, head of China's National Energy Administration's nuclear power department.

China is currently building 27 nuclear power plants on the mainland, making it the most active nuclear power plant builder in the world. Nevertheless, nuclear power facilities only provide less than 2 percent of China's power supply, far below the world average of 15 percent.

The initiative is expected to give the nuclear power sector a shot in the arm by increasing demand for high-end equipment production in a country that is mainly dependent on thermal power for electricity.

The move by China to increase its nuclear power capabilities has come later than the government would have liked. But after Japan's Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011 China stopped issuing approvals for nuclear power projects, despitethe fact that domestic companies have since improved their capabilities and safety standards.

Elsewhere in China's nuclear power industry, a Chinese heavy machinery manufacturer has produced the world's first shielding equipment for the new-generation high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (HTGR), reports state news agency Xinhua.

HTGR is an advanced nuclear reactor featuring several new safety measures. China has independent intellectual property rights over the development of the reactor in Shidaowan.

The first shield will be installed in early 2015 in Shidaowan Nuclear Power Station, which is under construction in Shandong Province. It will be the world's first HTGR nuclear power station when it begins operation in 2017.

TagsChina to Develop Offshore Nuclear Power, Zhuang Huolin, China Nuclear Engineering Corp., National Development and Reform Commission, Nuclear Power, offshore nuclear power, Fukushima