China environment minister says nuclear safety risks climbing

China environment minister says nuclear safety risks climbing
Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:50am GMT

BEIJING Oct 26 (Reuters) - China is facing increasing safety risks from its nuclear power plants as existing facilities age and a large number of new reactors go into operation, the country's environmental minister said in comments published on Wednesday.

"The safety standards of China's early-phase nuclear facilities are relatively low, operation times are long, some facilities are obsolete and the safety risks are increasing," said Zhou Shengxian in a speech published on the website of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (www.npc.gov.cn).

Zhou told legislators that the scale and pace of nuclear construction had accelerated, a larger range of technologies had been introduced, and potential sources of radiation had become more widespread, making it harder to monitor safety.

China has 13 nuclear reactors in operation and another 28 under construction, but it has suspended all new project approvals in the wake of the tsunami in northeast Japan, which left the Fukushima Daiichi reactor on the brink of meltdown...

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E7LQ1ID20111026?sp=true

He Zuoxiu, "a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher at the CAS Institute of Theoretical Physics", reviewed China's push to develop nuclear energy and
"believes Beijing’s nuclear plans are too risky to justify. Opening a debate on the role of atomic energy in China’s future, he outlines three lessons from Fukushima."

His conclusion?
"I believe China should abandon plans to use slow, fast and thermal reactors for short-term development goals, as the conditions are not ripe for significant expansion. How, then, do I think nuclear power should be employed? I advocate using nuclear power not for basic electricity supply, but for sea transport."



“China must alter nuclear policy” (1)
http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4576--China-must-change-its-nuclear-policy-1-

“China must alter nuclear policy” (Part 2)
http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4577