China should vigorously develop nuclear energy and restart the plan to build nuclear power stations inland to reduce the nation's high energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product and clear smog and haze, said a report released on Thursday.

The Report on the Development of China's Eco-Cities (2014), produced by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's primary energy consumption in 2012 was 3.62 billion metric tons of standard coal, or 20 percent of the world's total consumption.

China creates 14,000 yuan ($2,250) of GDP when burning one ton of standard coal. The figure is the equivalent of 25,000 yuan for the global average, 31,000 yuan for the Unites States, and 50,000 yuan for Japan, the report said.