ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a survey of the development of China's power industry and its structure to provide a background for understanding the reform process, problems and challenges faced in restructuring the industry. The shortage of power, which is known to be the 'bottleneck' restricting national economic development and impeding the improvement of people's lives, has been greatly alleviated. Thermal power accounts for more than 75 per cent of China's electricity-generating capacity and over 80 per cent in output. The nuclear power project was commissioned in 1983 in Zhejiang province, A joint venture agreement for a nuclear power plant at Daya Bay in Guangdong province was signed in 1985, which attracted international attention. The driving forces behind nuclear power projects at the time were mainly regional interests and the nuclear industry. In China, the power industry was developed to facilitate the development of heavy industries, especially coal, iron, steel, fertilizers and cement.
