China on Saturday began construction of the main body of a nuclear power station in Dalian, Liaoning province, the first nuclear power station in northeast China.

The Hongyanhe nuclear power station is designed to have six generating units of million-kilowatt class.

The first phase of the project consists of four generating units. The first unit, now being built, is expected to start commercial operation in 2012. It will be joined by the other three units in 2014, when annual electricity output of the station will reach 30 billion kwh.

The whole project will cost an estimated 50 billion yuan (6.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to Xu Juncai, deputy general manager of the Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.

The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Holdings Co. Ltd. and the China Power Investment Corporation each holds a 45-percent, while the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Company holds the remaining 10 percent of the project.

"Construction of the plant will help ease the increasing electricity demand in the northeast boosted by the country's strategy of revitalizing the region," said Liu Huanxin, deputy director of the Liaoning provincial reform and development commission.

The station will drive development of equipment manufacturing industry in the region, Liu said.

Electricity generated by the station will account for one-tenth of the total in northeast China when the four units of the first phase go into operation, according to Xu.