The Xinhua News Agency says the 3 billion yuan ($475 million) power plant in Rongcheng, an eastern coastal city in Shandong province, will incorporate advanced safety features developed by Chinese researchers.

China is the world’s biggest energy consumer and nuclear power is a key element in official efforts to curb surging demand for fossil fuels.

Beijing suspended approval of new nuclear power plants to carry out safety reviews following the Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami that wrecked the Fukushima plant. That moratorium was lifted in October.