(Yicai Global) May 20 -- China National Nuclear has started constructing four nuclear power units with Russian reactors to add capacity that equals a reduction of 30.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

The four units should have an annual output of 7.6 billion kilowatt-hours, the Beijing-based company said in a statement yesterday.

The projects are located in two places. They are the Tianwan nuclear power plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, as well as the Xudapu nuclear power plant in northeastern China's Liaoning province.

The value of the two projects is USD1.7 billion, according to a contract signed by CNNC and Russian equipment exporter Atomstroyexport in 2019. All the units adopt Russian-designed VVER-1200/V491, a third-generation nuclear technology.

Russia has four units that use the above-mentioned water-water energetic reactors. The latest addition was in March when the Leningrad nuclear power plant got the green light to operate a new reactor. In Tianwan, two units use Russian reactors and another two domestic ones.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi