China Gets Its First Nuclear Power

China’s first nuclear power plant has started operation to help power Shanghai, official media reported Wednesday, without mentioning that it was two years behind schedule and built with foreign help.

The 300-megawatt plant in Qinshan, in Zhejiang province on the southeast coast, began generating power Sunday morning, the New China News Agency said.

All major national newspapers carried reports of the plant on their front pages, but none explained the delay in reporting its start-up or said that it originally was to open in 1989.

“The successful designing and construction of the Qinshan station has proven that Chinese experts in this field have full knowledge of the secrets needed to build a nuclear power station,” the news agency said.

It did not mention that key components came from foreign manufacturers, including a Japanese reactor vessel, German coolant pump and French computer controls and cables.