北京周报英文版(2007年第39期)

COVER STORY We,in the 21st Century,are addicted to lelctricity,using it to power our lives at home,at work and elsewhere.Air conditioners,TV,mobile phones…just a few things we cannot dream of living without.How,then,can we continue to fuel our addiction and keep the envirnment clean and safe at the same time?Almost every other option-coal mining,hydropower,solar power-is either too costly or environment-unfriendly,or both.Nuclear energy,on the other hand,is reliable,efficient,and has few deleterious effects on climate and ecology.Despite the controversy surrounding nuclear power,in 1001 China became the seventh country in the would to develop and activate its own unit-the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station.China is expected to have 11 such stations in operation by the end of 2007,and by 2020 nuclear power is expected to account for a massive 4 percent of China's electricity.Indeed,embracing nuclear energy wholeheartedly will prove to be a springboard to China's success in the years to come.