BEIJING (Reuters) - China will this month start building a nuclear plant in the southern region of Guangxi, with a plan to start up the first reactor in 2015 and a second in 2016, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper quoted Lou Yun, a spokesman for China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corp, as saying the State Council, China’s cabinet, had approved the project on July 15.

The power station at Fancheng would have six 1,000 MW pressurized water reactors, the report said, two more than previously reported.

The first phase of two reactors would generate about 15 billion kWh per year and may cost about 24 billion yuan ($3.54 billion), it said.

The newspaper cited unnamed analysts as saying the first phase would cut coal consumption by 6 million tonnes and, compared with a coal plant of similar scale, would emit 14.8 million tonnes less carbon dioxide and 136,400 tonnes less sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

($1=6.778 YUAN)