US, Europe firms look to spark China power ventures

China's electricity shortage has created a promising market for foreign-invested and joint-venture power stations. Several American companies have begun negotiations with Huaneng International to meet China power minister Shi Dazhen's goal of building 15,000 megawatts of new generators per year for the next five years. The boom in China's economy has been hindered by an estimated $42.1 billion a year because of brownouts, according to the State Planning Commission.