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The first unit of the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Station in Dalian， Liaoning Province began operation at 3：09 p.m. on February 17. It’s the first nuclear power plant in northeast China， and the first nuclear power project to install nuclear fuels in China since Japan’s Fukushima crisis in March 2011.
“The Fukushima nuclear accident had an adverse impact on the development of China’s nuclear power， slowing down the pace of its development，” Zhu Zhiyuan， Executive Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch and Vice President of the Chinese Nuclear Physics Society， told Beijing Review.
According to Zhu， China suspended all its nuclear power projects under construction to improve safety following the Fukushima disaster. The State Council approved the resumption of nuclear power plant construction in October 2012 along the coast but not in its inland regions.
The three inland nuclear power projects in Taohuajiang in Hunan Province， Dafan in Hubei Province and Pengze in Jiangxi Province have been suspended. “It’s mainly because of safety concerns，” Qin Hongsan， General Manager of Jiangxi Electric Power Corp.， told Beijing Review.
“This indicates the government is more than prudent in the development of nuclear power. It is very clear that the government puts safety first，” Zhu said.
But not all agree that developing nuclear energy in China’s interior should be suspended.
On March 4 before the opening of the First Session of the 12th National People’s Congress， the Hunan delegation decided at a group conference to propose to the session that construction of nuclear power projects in inland areas should be resumed as soon as possible， and the Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Station should be listed as the first model.
“Nuclear power is clean energy. In Hunan， nuclear power can make up for the shortage of energy supplies，” said Huang Boyun， Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology.
An urgent need
Gradually reducing nuclear power is a trend in many developed countries. Three months after the Fukushima nuclear accident， the German Bundestag passed a series of bills， ending the use of nuclear power by 2022. France decided to cut its proportion of nuclear power from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2025.
“China is a vast country with a large population and has a huge demand for nuclear power. Therefore it is unlikely for China to blindly follow other countries； one or a few kinds of energy cannot satisfy the demand for China’s economic development and the improvement of people’s lives，” said Zhu， who received a doctorate from the Technical University of Munich. Today， nuclear power only accounts for 1.8 percent of China’s total energy supplies， and 17 nuclear power plants are in operation. “Almost all the world’s developed industrial countries， such as the United States， France， South Korea and Japan， have a large proportion of nuclear power in their energy mix，” said Zhu. “Even in Germany， experts hold differing views on whether to shut down all their nuclear power plants.”
Sun Qin， President of China National Nuclear Corp. （CNNC）， says that no carbon dioxide， sulfur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide is emitted when generating nuclear power. “If China only uses nuclear power， the frequency of hazy days will definitely be reduced，”Sun said.
Huang holds the same view.
“China is such a large country that it needs a huge amount of energy to reach its goal of building a moderately prosperous society. Fossil fuels will be used up one day， therefore we need more types of energy，” he said.
In his native Hunan， energy is in short supply， and only hydropower and thermal power are offered. “Hunan lacks coal reserves and all the coal it needs is transported from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Once the coal supplies are tight， the province will suffer power cuts. Moreover， thermal power also brings pollution，” Huang said. With good geological conditions and the small possibility of tsunamis and earthquakes， Hunan is suitable for developing nuclear power， he says.
Safety first
The World Health Organization released on February 28 a comprehensive assessment by international experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima nuclear accident， which says the estimated risk for specific cancers in certain subsets of the population in Fukushima Prefecture has increased. In females exposed as infants， the estimated risks of thyroid cancer increased up to 70 percent and the risks of breast cancer increased up to 6 percent； in males exposed as infants， the risk of leukemia rose by around 7 percent.
“We should have a correct understanding of nuclear power； it is wrong to abandon it just because of the Fukushima accident，” said Huang， adding that safety should be the top priority in developing nuclear power.
After the Fukushima nuclear accident， the International Atomic Energy Agency， world leaders and nuclear experts from various countries have all reassessed nuclear safety in terms of both management and technology. As for technologies， Zhu says all the completed and to-be-constructed nuclear power plants in China are using third-generation AP1000 technology， while the Fukushima nuclear power station used outdated technology from the first and second generations. The accident occurred because the two emergency power supply systems were destroyed and water cooling failed to work.
Zheng Yanguo， General Manager of CNNC Hunan Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.， says the third-generation AP1000 technology is quite safe. In case of malfunction， the technology can ensure the safety of a nuclear power station within 72 hours without manned operation. This is the technology the Taohuajiang nuclear power station will adopt.
According to Zhu， modern technology has been able to reduce the probability of a nuclear accident to a minimum. Immediately after any accident， a complete set of measures can effectively reduce the radiation to the minimum. Currently， the fourth generation of nuclear power station facilities is safer and more economical. Even the amount of water used to cool facilities may be significantly reduced.
“China has been using the safest types of reactors to develop nuclear power， which are the most advanced technologies available now，” said Zhu. “We started later in developing nuclear power， therefore we can learn from the experience of foreign countries.”
As for nuclear power administration and supervision， Zhu thinks China has been stressing nuclear safety and adopted strict measures in planning， designing and construction to ensure safety. Zheng also says after the Fukushima accident， China had made comprehensive safety inspections on all the nuclear power plants a requirement.
China has also formulated some regulations and provisions on the prevention and control of nuclear pollution. Zhu suggests the government go further and formulate a law on the supervision of nuclear safety， incorporating various policies and technologies related to nuclear safety while ensuring the sound development of the industry.
Prospects
“After the Fukushima accident， the Chinese people become more afraid of nuclear energy， but at the same time， they also know more about nuclear radiation and understand the circumstances under which it is safe to use radiation，”Zhu said. People are afraid of the invisibility of nuclear radiation. “In fact， living on Earth， we are exposed to radiation every day， but within a certain dose we are safe，” he said. “Nuclear power， as a kind of clean energy， must be developed in China. We should make common people better understand related knowledge，” said Huang.
Putting aside people’s fear， Zhu thinks China will have a bright future in developing nuclear power， and there is a large room for improvement in nuclear technologies. The Shandong Shidaowan Nuclear Power Station under construction adopts the fourth generation of nuclear power technology independently developed by China. Tsinghua University and the China Institute of Atomic Energy are also developing fourth-generation nuclear reactors.
Nuclear power is more competitive than thermal power in prices. “To governments and enterprises， to invest in nuclear power is worthwhile. This is why so many local governments and enterprises are willing to build nuclear power plants，” Zhu said.
In response to the possibility of restarting nuclear power plants in inland areas， Zhu and Huang both mentioned that in the United States and Europe， many nuclear power plants are built in inland areas.
“For safety， the government needs to carry out more evaluations on building inland nuclear power plants， but it has not ruled out completely the building of nuclear power plants in inland areas，” Zhu said.
According to Zheng， the preparatory work has been completed for the Taohuajiang nuclear power project， whose planned installed capacity is 5 million kilowatts. Once in operation， power shortages in Hunan will be significantly reduced.
“The Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Station is fully ready to begin construction，” said Zheng.“What we need is the State Council’s approval. If construction can begin this year， the station can be put into production by 2017 or 2018.”
“The Fukushima nuclear accident had an adverse impact on the development of China’s nuclear power， slowing down the pace of its development，” Zhu Zhiyuan， Executive Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch and Vice President of the Chinese Nuclear Physics Society， told Beijing Review.
According to Zhu， China suspended all its nuclear power projects under construction to improve safety following the Fukushima disaster. The State Council approved the resumption of nuclear power plant construction in October 2012 along the coast but not in its inland regions.
The three inland nuclear power projects in Taohuajiang in Hunan Province， Dafan in Hubei Province and Pengze in Jiangxi Province have been suspended. “It’s mainly because of safety concerns，” Qin Hongsan， General Manager of Jiangxi Electric Power Corp.， told Beijing Review.
“This indicates the government is more than prudent in the development of nuclear power. It is very clear that the government puts safety first，” Zhu said.
But not all agree that developing nuclear energy in China’s interior should be suspended.
On March 4 before the opening of the First Session of the 12th National People’s Congress， the Hunan delegation decided at a group conference to propose to the session that construction of nuclear power projects in inland areas should be resumed as soon as possible， and the Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Station should be listed as the first model.
“Nuclear power is clean energy. In Hunan， nuclear power can make up for the shortage of energy supplies，” said Huang Boyun， Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology.
An urgent need
Gradually reducing nuclear power is a trend in many developed countries. Three months after the Fukushima nuclear accident， the German Bundestag passed a series of bills， ending the use of nuclear power by 2022. France decided to cut its proportion of nuclear power from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2025.
“China is a vast country with a large population and has a huge demand for nuclear power. Therefore it is unlikely for China to blindly follow other countries； one or a few kinds of energy cannot satisfy the demand for China’s economic development and the improvement of people’s lives，” said Zhu， who received a doctorate from the Technical University of Munich. Today， nuclear power only accounts for 1.8 percent of China’s total energy supplies， and 17 nuclear power plants are in operation. “Almost all the world’s developed industrial countries， such as the United States， France， South Korea and Japan， have a large proportion of nuclear power in their energy mix，” said Zhu. “Even in Germany， experts hold differing views on whether to shut down all their nuclear power plants.”
Sun Qin， President of China National Nuclear Corp. （CNNC）， says that no carbon dioxide， sulfur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide is emitted when generating nuclear power. “If China only uses nuclear power， the frequency of hazy days will definitely be reduced，”Sun said.
Huang holds the same view.
“China is such a large country that it needs a huge amount of energy to reach its goal of building a moderately prosperous society. Fossil fuels will be used up one day， therefore we need more types of energy，” he said.
In his native Hunan， energy is in short supply， and only hydropower and thermal power are offered. “Hunan lacks coal reserves and all the coal it needs is transported from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Once the coal supplies are tight， the province will suffer power cuts. Moreover， thermal power also brings pollution，” Huang said. With good geological conditions and the small possibility of tsunamis and earthquakes， Hunan is suitable for developing nuclear power， he says.
Safety first
The World Health Organization released on February 28 a comprehensive assessment by international experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima nuclear accident， which says the estimated risk for specific cancers in certain subsets of the population in Fukushima Prefecture has increased. In females exposed as infants， the estimated risks of thyroid cancer increased up to 70 percent and the risks of breast cancer increased up to 6 percent； in males exposed as infants， the risk of leukemia rose by around 7 percent.
“We should have a correct understanding of nuclear power； it is wrong to abandon it just because of the Fukushima accident，” said Huang， adding that safety should be the top priority in developing nuclear power.
After the Fukushima nuclear accident， the International Atomic Energy Agency， world leaders and nuclear experts from various countries have all reassessed nuclear safety in terms of both management and technology. As for technologies， Zhu says all the completed and to-be-constructed nuclear power plants in China are using third-generation AP1000 technology， while the Fukushima nuclear power station used outdated technology from the first and second generations. The accident occurred because the two emergency power supply systems were destroyed and water cooling failed to work.
Zheng Yanguo， General Manager of CNNC Hunan Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.， says the third-generation AP1000 technology is quite safe. In case of malfunction， the technology can ensure the safety of a nuclear power station within 72 hours without manned operation. This is the technology the Taohuajiang nuclear power station will adopt.
According to Zhu， modern technology has been able to reduce the probability of a nuclear accident to a minimum. Immediately after any accident， a complete set of measures can effectively reduce the radiation to the minimum. Currently， the fourth generation of nuclear power station facilities is safer and more economical. Even the amount of water used to cool facilities may be significantly reduced.
“China has been using the safest types of reactors to develop nuclear power， which are the most advanced technologies available now，” said Zhu. “We started later in developing nuclear power， therefore we can learn from the experience of foreign countries.”
As for nuclear power administration and supervision， Zhu thinks China has been stressing nuclear safety and adopted strict measures in planning， designing and construction to ensure safety. Zheng also says after the Fukushima accident， China had made comprehensive safety inspections on all the nuclear power plants a requirement.
China has also formulated some regulations and provisions on the prevention and control of nuclear pollution. Zhu suggests the government go further and formulate a law on the supervision of nuclear safety， incorporating various policies and technologies related to nuclear safety while ensuring the sound development of the industry.
Prospects
“After the Fukushima accident， the Chinese people become more afraid of nuclear energy， but at the same time， they also know more about nuclear radiation and understand the circumstances under which it is safe to use radiation，”Zhu said. People are afraid of the invisibility of nuclear radiation. “In fact， living on Earth， we are exposed to radiation every day， but within a certain dose we are safe，” he said. “Nuclear power， as a kind of clean energy， must be developed in China. We should make common people better understand related knowledge，” said Huang.
Putting aside people’s fear， Zhu thinks China will have a bright future in developing nuclear power， and there is a large room for improvement in nuclear technologies. The Shandong Shidaowan Nuclear Power Station under construction adopts the fourth generation of nuclear power technology independently developed by China. Tsinghua University and the China Institute of Atomic Energy are also developing fourth-generation nuclear reactors.
Nuclear power is more competitive than thermal power in prices. “To governments and enterprises， to invest in nuclear power is worthwhile. This is why so many local governments and enterprises are willing to build nuclear power plants，” Zhu said.
In response to the possibility of restarting nuclear power plants in inland areas， Zhu and Huang both mentioned that in the United States and Europe， many nuclear power plants are built in inland areas.
“For safety， the government needs to carry out more evaluations on building inland nuclear power plants， but it has not ruled out completely the building of nuclear power plants in inland areas，” Zhu said.
According to Zheng， the preparatory work has been completed for the Taohuajiang nuclear power project， whose planned installed capacity is 5 million kilowatts. Once in operation， power shortages in Hunan will be significantly reduced.
“The Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Station is fully ready to begin construction，” said Zheng.“What we need is the State Council’s approval. If construction can begin this year， the station can be put into production by 2017 or 2018.”