China acts as Japanese crisis 'out of control'
By Richard Fu |
March 17, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
China is to suspend approvals for new nuclear plants and intensify safety checks on reactors in operation and under construction amid Japan's reactor crisis, the State Council said yesterday.
The decision signals a slowdown in the development of China's nuclear industry, which is the world's No. 1 in terms of capacity under construction.
China will accelerate drafting safety rules for its nuclear industry and adjust its mid and long-term development plans, according to a statement released after a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We will suspend approval of nuclear power projects, including those already in the preliminary stage of development, until revised safety regulations are promulgated," the State Council said.
Existing plants will be inspected and those under construction will be reviewed under the "most advanced standards," the State Council said, noting that the "development of the nuclear industry must make safety the top priority."
"Any hazards must be thoroughly dealt with, and those that do not conform to safety standards must immediately cease construction," the statement said.
Armand Cao, Shanghai-based senior energy and power consultant at Frost & Sullivan, said this could delay China's nuclear plans by at least one to two years, and even longer if the Japanese crisis deteriorated.
China has 13 operational rectors which are located along the country's eastern and southern coasts, and is building at least 25 with the government fast-tracking approvals in the past two years in a bid to sustain economic growth and minimize pollution caused by coal-fired generation.
The nation wants at least 15 percent of its energy mix to come from non-fossil fuels, including nuclear, by 2020.
The State Council also required the country's environmental regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration, to step up monitoring of radioactive substances and issue alerts timely, the statement said.
The statement said all reactors in operation in China are safe and the country remains unaffected by radioactive leakages following explosions at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant which was crippled by last Friday's 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami.
The radioactive leakages won't affect public health in China since they are diluted by the air and sea, the statement said, citing experts.
Latest air monitoring results show that China remains unaffected by radioactive leaks following explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the nuclear watchdog said yesterday.
The administration said that monitoring stations in 41 cities across the country had tested levels of radioactive material in the air and "nothing unusual had been discovered."
The decision signals a slowdown in the development of China's nuclear industry, which is the world's No. 1 in terms of capacity under construction.
China will accelerate drafting safety rules for its nuclear industry and adjust its mid and long-term development plans, according to a statement released after a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We will suspend approval of nuclear power projects, including those already in the preliminary stage of development, until revised safety regulations are promulgated," the State Council said.
Existing plants will be inspected and those under construction will be reviewed under the "most advanced standards," the State Council said, noting that the "development of the nuclear industry must make safety the top priority."
"Any hazards must be thoroughly dealt with, and those that do not conform to safety standards must immediately cease construction," the statement said.
Armand Cao, Shanghai-based senior energy and power consultant at Frost & Sullivan, said this could delay China's nuclear plans by at least one to two years, and even longer if the Japanese crisis deteriorated.
China has 13 operational rectors which are located along the country's eastern and southern coasts, and is building at least 25 with the government fast-tracking approvals in the past two years in a bid to sustain economic growth and minimize pollution caused by coal-fired generation.
The nation wants at least 15 percent of its energy mix to come from non-fossil fuels, including nuclear, by 2020.
The State Council also required the country's environmental regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration, to step up monitoring of radioactive substances and issue alerts timely, the statement said.
The statement said all reactors in operation in China are safe and the country remains unaffected by radioactive leakages following explosions at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant which was crippled by last Friday's 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami.
The radioactive leakages won't affect public health in China since they are diluted by the air and sea, the statement said, citing experts.
Latest air monitoring results show that China remains unaffected by radioactive leaks following explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the nuclear watchdog said yesterday.
The administration said that monitoring stations in 41 cities across the country had tested levels of radioactive material in the air and "nothing unusual had been discovered."
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