Thermal testing at the Ling'ao Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, has been successfully carried out, laying a good foundation for filling nuclear fuel this year, according to Chinese technicians.

　　Liu Jinhua, general manager of the Ling'ao Nuclear Power Co. Ltd, said that the 42-day thermal testing was completed at the endof last month and was concentrated mainly on the equipment on the nuclear islands.

　　The testing proved that the main recirculating loop equipment could gradually meet the high-temperature and high-pressure statusrequired for safe operation of the plant after nuclear fuel is loaded.

　　Ling'ao is the second largest commercial nuclear power plant tobe built in Guangdong, following the one on Daya Bay, and was included as one of the major power projects in China for the 1996-2000 period.

　　According to a construction blueprint, the first and second generators at Ling'ao will begin power generation in July 2002 andMarch 2003, respectively.

　　At present, four nuclear power projects are being built in China. The other three are the second and third phases of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang Province, andthe Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, a Sino-Russian joint venture, at Lianyungang on China's east coast.