Safety Concerns: Should China Build More Inland Nuclear Stations?

The Chinese Academy of Engineering and China’s National Energy Administration has finished a research report about the environmental security of inland nuclear power plants, and submitted to the State Council, an energy expert told China Times on September 24. If it is approved, China is likely to set up more nuclear power stations in inland areas over the course of the next five years. Establishing more nuclear plants on Chinese soil remains a controversial question. Although most nuclear field experts have agreed that advanced technology could guarantee 100% safety, the public remains concerned. Does China really need nuclear power in its inland? What if accidents happen? As China’s economic development continues, and the nation also sets the goal of developing to the similar standard of moderately developed countries in 2049, the country greatly needs to expand its power-generating capacity. Coal-fired power plants do not work, as there is a shortage of coal and oil gas, whilst renewable resources like biogas also do not appear capable of meeting such an enormous demand. To have more nuclear power stations in the inland seems to be China’s last choice. How many inland nuclear stations does China need? Take France as an example, its landscape is almost the same size as China’s inland Sichuan province. France has very intense usage of nuclear energy, with […]