Cutback hits nuclear ambition
Source: Agencies |
October 22, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S 2020 nuclear capacity targets are likely to be scaled down after the country imposed a moratorium on new projects following the Fukushima disaster in Japan since March, industry officials said yesterday.
China was originally scheduled to release a revised blueprint for its nuclear sector this year, with many predicting a new 2020 target of 86 gigawatts, up from 40GW.
Capacity at the end of 2010 stood at 10.9GW, but projects already under construction would have pushed the total to 40GW by as early as 2015, and China's bullish reactor builders even suggested a target of up to 120GW.
But China promised to "adjust and improve" its plans for the sector after an earthquake and tsunami left the aging Fukushima Daiichi reactor on the brink of meltdown.
Li Yongjiang, vice president of the China Nuclear Energy Association, said new projects are likely to be resumed next year, but China had already lost a year of construction.
"The 86GW target was a very tight target in the first place," he said, adding that the suspension forced the delay of around 10GW of new capacity this year.
"If we start from next year, we will be able to build only 60-70GW, so we will definitely have to reduce the target," he said.
In March, the government ordered a nationwide inspection of existing plants and construction sites in order to allay public disquiet about the safety of nuclear power.
Areas of concern included the safety of the many "second-generation" reactors set to go into operation, the shortage of qualified safety and operational personnel, and the possible construction of nuclear projects in seismically vulnerable provinces such as Sichuan.
Officials have suggested that no new second-generation reactors will be approved, leaving the way clear for third-generation models designed by France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse, owned by Toshiba.
Chinese officials have stressed throughout the inspection period that while the pace of development could be adjusted in the wake of Fukushima, long-term capacity expansion plans remain intact.
Senior energy officials have expressed concern that the current impasse will hurt China's long-term aim to become a global leader in the nuclear sector.
China was originally scheduled to release a revised blueprint for its nuclear sector this year, with many predicting a new 2020 target of 86 gigawatts, up from 40GW.
Capacity at the end of 2010 stood at 10.9GW, but projects already under construction would have pushed the total to 40GW by as early as 2015, and China's bullish reactor builders even suggested a target of up to 120GW.
But China promised to "adjust and improve" its plans for the sector after an earthquake and tsunami left the aging Fukushima Daiichi reactor on the brink of meltdown.
Li Yongjiang, vice president of the China Nuclear Energy Association, said new projects are likely to be resumed next year, but China had already lost a year of construction.
"The 86GW target was a very tight target in the first place," he said, adding that the suspension forced the delay of around 10GW of new capacity this year.
"If we start from next year, we will be able to build only 60-70GW, so we will definitely have to reduce the target," he said.
In March, the government ordered a nationwide inspection of existing plants and construction sites in order to allay public disquiet about the safety of nuclear power.
Areas of concern included the safety of the many "second-generation" reactors set to go into operation, the shortage of qualified safety and operational personnel, and the possible construction of nuclear projects in seismically vulnerable provinces such as Sichuan.
Officials have suggested that no new second-generation reactors will be approved, leaving the way clear for third-generation models designed by France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse, owned by Toshiba.
Chinese officials have stressed throughout the inspection period that while the pace of development could be adjusted in the wake of Fukushima, long-term capacity expansion plans remain intact.
Senior energy officials have expressed concern that the current impasse will hurt China's long-term aim to become a global leader in the nuclear sector.
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