China Lifts Ban on Nuclear Energy
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China has restarted its nuclear programme after a one and a half year hiatus following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Beijing, however, will approve only “a small number” of new nuclear plants that will be built in coastal regions.
China is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a 20-month ban on approvals of new plants following Japan’s nuclear crisis.
China has restarted its nuclear programme after a one and a half year hiatus following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Beijing, however, will approve only “a small number” of new nuclear plants that will be built in coastal regions.
China is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a 20-month ban on approvals of new plants following Japan’s nuclear crisis.
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According to a white paper released by China’s State Council, a “small number” of coastal nuclear power plants will be allowed before 2015. In the report, China also reduced its total nuclear energy capacity target to 40 gigawatts by 2015, down from a previous target of 50 gigawatts.
China has 15 operational commercial nuclear reactors, with 27 reactors under construction near coastal areas, according to the World Nuclear Association.
[quote] The white paper stressed that China had never experienced a serious nuclear incident and that authorities had carried out “comprehensive safety inspections… which showed that nuclear security is guaranteed in China”. [/quote]
Seeking to allay safety fears, the State Council said all new plants will be built according to “third generation safety standards”, which refers to the latest technologies pioneered by companies such as Westinghouse, which is owned by Japan’s Toshiba and France’s Areva.
Existing nuclear facilities will also be upgraded – at a cost of 80 billion yuan ($12.8 billion) – to meet international standards.
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The Financial Times called China “the world’s most enthusiastic builder of nuclear plants”, accounting for more than 40 percent of reactors under construction today.
As part of its latest five-year plan for the energy sector, China also said it would also promote price reforms for electricity, coal, oil and natural gas and pledged to boost its hydro, solar and wind power generation in an effort to cut emissions.
China, the world’s biggest consumer of energy, is seeking to draw 11.4 percent of its energy consumption from non-fossil fuels by 2015.
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