China ready to resume its nuclear plant plans

Published on 25/10/2012 00:00

China said yesterday it is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of plans to reduce its reliance on oil and coal, ending a moratorium imposed after Japan’s Fukushima disaster last year.

Beijing said it hopes to generate 30 per cent of power from solar, wind and other renewable sources as well as from nuclear energy by the end of 2015. That is up from an earlier target of 15 per cent from renewables plus 
5 per cent from nuclear by 2020.

The Communist regime is aggressively promoting wind, solar, hydro and other alternative energy sources to reduce pollution from coal plants and curb surging reliance on imported oil, which it sees as a security risk. The government yesterday passed plans on nuclear power safety and development that said construction of nuclear plants would resume “steadily”.

It also said it would encourage private firms to exploit its energy resources.

Only a small number of nuclear plants will be built, and only in coastal areas, according to the announcement. The plants will meet the most stringent safety standards, it added.

No date was given for resuming construction of nuclear plants, amid widespread public concern over possible radiation contamination from the Fukushima disaster and calls for improved safety precautions and emergency measures.

China suspended approvals of new nuclear plants in March last year after a tsunami triggered by an earthquake crippled the Fukushima plant, causing partial meltdowns in the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. China’s leaders ordered safety checks for existing nuclear facilities, a review of projects under construction and improved safety standards.