China launches nuclear power expansion scheme

China's central authorities have signed off a major nuclear power development scheme despite the lingering shadow cast by Japan's Fukushima disaster. 
The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, announced plans to develop offshore nuclear power projects, with spokesman Li Pumin ensuring that all projects will comply with the highest international security standards. 
In addition, efforts to draft related administrative rules for nuclear power development have been heightened, according to head of the National Energy Administration's nuclear power department Liu Baohua. 
There are currently 27 nuclear power plants under construction in China, placing it top in the world in that category. However, nuclear power facilities provide less than 2% of the country's power supply, far below the world average of 15%. 
The initiative is expected to give the nuclear power sector a boost, driving high-end equipment production and optimizing power generation in a country that largely depends on thermal power for electricity.