BEIJING — China has decided to approve new nuclear power plants as part of plans
to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending the moratorium it imposed to review
safety in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster last year.
The government’s decision on
Wednesday that nuclear power is safe for China takes the country in the
opposite direction from some developed nations such as Germany, which decided
in the wake of the Fukushima disaster to speed its complete phase-out of
nuclear power. Japan is planning to phase it out by 2040.
China is the world’s biggest
energy consumer, and building new reactors is a key part of Beijing’s plans to
curb demand for fossil fuels.
The communist government is
aggressively promoting alternatives to coal and oil in order to reduce
pollution and curb its reliance on imported petroleum, which it sees as a
national security risk. Still, coal is forecast to remain the country’s main
energy source for decades.
The government said on Wednesday
it hopes to generate 30 percent of China’s power from solar, wind and other
renewable sources, as well as from nuclear energy, by the end of 2015. That’s
up from an earlier target of 15 percent from renewables plus five percent from
nuclear by 2020.
The cabinet on Wednesday passed
plans on nuclear power safety and development that said construction of nuclear
power plants would resume “steadily.”
Only a small number of plants
will be built, and only in coastal areas, according to a cabinet announcement.
The plants will meet the most stringent safety standards, it said.
No date was given for resuming
construction of nuclear plants. Despite widespread public concern over possible
radiation contamination from the Fukushima disaster and calls for improved
safety precautions and emergency preparedness, China remains committed to
building up nuclear power to help reduce emissions from coal-fired plants and
curb its reliance on costly oil imports.
China suspended approvals of new
nuclear plants after a tsunami triggered by the massive March 11, 2011,
earthquake crippled the Fukushima plant’s cooling and backup power systems,
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.
“The inspection results show that
nuclear security is guaranteed in China,” according to a government report on
its energy policy also released on Wednesday. “China implements the principle
of ‘safety first’ in the whole process of nuclear power station planning.”
China currently has 15 nuclear
reactors that provide about 12.5 gigawatts of generating capacity, and another
26 reactors are under construction that will add 30 gigawatts, the report said.
Nuclear power accounts for only
1.8 percent of power in China, it said.
The government report also said
that China is now 90 percent energy self-sufficient, but acknowledged high
demand will continue to put a strain on resources.
It also warned of “grave
challenges” to its energy security in its growing dependence on imported
petroleum. Imports accounted for a third of total petroleum consumption in the
early 2000s and have jumped to nearly 60 percent now, the report said.
China will also encourage private
companies to participate in exploration and development of energy resources, it
said.
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. Since we are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, you may contact us at: sbc.pte@gmail.com, provisionally. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment