Construction on the first phase of a nuclear power plant in souther China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region began yesterday.

The project in Guangpo Township, Fangchengang City, will have six 1-million-kilowatt generators. It will be the first such facility in an ethnic minority area.

The first phase of the project involves investment of 26 billion yuan (US$3.87 billion) and the construction of two CPR1000 pressurized water reactors, said Shu Guogang, general manager of the project's contractor.

Upon completion in 2015 and 2016, the two generators will produce up to 15 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, easing power shortages in the Beibu Gulf region of Guangxi.

The project, whose main investors are Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Co and the Guangxi Investment Group Co, will also reduce coal consumption by 6 million tons a year and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 14.82 million tons a year, compared with coal-fueled power plants of similar capacity.