China resumes nuclear development one year on from Fukushima

• 12 years ago (2012-03-15)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 North America 1021 Nuclear 659

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China is set to resume construction of 43 new nuclear power plants one year on from Japan’s Fukushima disaster.

China was among the first countries to halt nuclear projects and put approvals for new nuclear projects on hold while it carried out a comprehensive reassessment of nuclear policy. Currently, China has 13 nuclear power plants of varying capacities.

“After a year-long suspension, construction of nuclear power facilities across China may be starting up again, signalling the resumption of a 1 trillion yuan ($158.73 billion) nuclear investment across the country,” Xue Yusheng, honorary president of State Grid Electric Power Research Institute said.

The Chinese government is also likely to resume the examination and approval of nuclear power projects this year, Wang Binghua, chairman of the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation Ltd, said.

The Chinese government is confident that its existing, more modern, reactors are safer than those at Fukushima. It also plans to officially embrace third-generation reactor technology in the near future - such as thorium technology and the AP1000, developed by US company Westinghouse, which is considered to be much safer than the previous technology.

Yu Zusheng, a nuclear expert affiliated with the environment ministry, claimed that the third generation of reactors would be “100 times safer” than Fukushima’s second-generation reactors.

According to state-run Beijing Review, China has at present approved 43 nuclear power plants for construction, with a planned capacity of 200 000 MW.