Looking to go ahead with its massive expansion plans of nuclear power, China will upgrade emergency safety procedures like installing mobile power generators at nuclear plants to deal with multiple disasters, two months after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan triggered an atomic crisis.Emergency procedures will be upgraded to ensure nuclear safety in China following the Japan crisis, Liu Hua, head of the nuclear safety and radioactive safety management department under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told 'China Daily'.Ongoing safety inspections show that existing emergency procedures require further improvement to deal with multiple disasters, as happened in Japan, he said."The lesson of Japanese Fukushima is that we need to improve emergency procedures, especially coordination among government departments," Liu said.
Guaranteeing power supplies to any crippled plant is crucial, Liu said his department might work with the State Grid Corp to prevent any disruption to power, as happened in Fukushima when the cooling system stopped pumping water into reactors after power was cut, causing a partial meltdown of the fuel rods."Access to power supplies is vital for nuclear safety. We are thinking of setting up mobile power generators in nuclear plants," he said.
China suspended approval of new nuclear power stations shortly after a 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, causing radioactive leaks.The cabinet had ordered safety checks on nuclear facilities, including projects under construction, and a revision of safety standards to ensure the integrity of reactors.China is building 12 nuclear plants in addition to the six in operation, with at least 25 in the pipeline.The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said in September that it plans to invest 800 billion yuan (USD 123 billion) into nuclear energy projects by 2020.
Liu also said that the government will raise construction standards for nuclear plants."We will set higher standards for flood control facilities and for the exterior walls of reactors," he said.Safety checks showed that existing plants on the Chinese mainland "meet international standards", Liu added.However, "we have to raise our standards to deal with complicated situations, like what happened in Japan".Liu said the department is trying to complete inspections before August, after which it will issue a nuclear safety plan."Approvals for new nuclear projects can be resumed only after the plan is issued and modifications on their construction will be carried out subsequently," he said.
Courtesy : DDN
China suspended approval of new nuclear power stations shortly after a 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, causing radioactive leaks.The cabinet had ordered safety checks on nuclear facilities, including projects under construction, and a revision of safety standards to ensure the integrity of reactors.China is building 12 nuclear plants in addition to the six in operation, with at least 25 in the pipeline.The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said in September that it plans to invest 800 billion yuan (USD 123 billion) into nuclear energy projects by 2020.
Liu also said that the government will raise construction standards for nuclear plants."We will set higher standards for flood control facilities and for the exterior walls of reactors," he said.Safety checks showed that existing plants on the Chinese mainland "meet international standards", Liu added.However, "we have to raise our standards to deal with complicated situations, like what happened in Japan".Liu said the department is trying to complete inspections before August, after which it will issue a nuclear safety plan."Approvals for new nuclear projects can be resumed only after the plan is issued and modifications on their construction will be carried out subsequently," he said.
Courtesy : DDN
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