China says there was no leak at the nuclear power plant where the problem was reported

The Chinese government said there was no leak at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant despite increased radioactivity after a build-up of gases raised safety concerns in recent days.

The radiation levels in the vicinity of the plant in southern China were not abnormal, suggesting that no leak has occurred, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Wednesday.

On the weekend, the French electricity giant Électricité de France TO

asked to meet the Chinese managers at the Taishan Plant, which it is a co-owner, to learn more about the accumulation of gases in one of the plant’s reactors. US officials also monitored the potential for action at the plant in Guangdong province, about 130 kilometers west of Hong Kong.

The authorities in Hong Kong and China had previously said there had been no radioactive incidents that threatened public safety or the environment. EDF said the facility was operating within safety parameters based on the data available.

The increased levels of radioactivity are mainly due to broken fuel rods, China’s Environment Ministry said, adding that minor breakage is inevitable due to manufacturing, transportation and loading.

The ministry said about five of more than 60,000 fuel rod claddings in the core of the reactor are damaged, less than 0.01% of the total and below the draft maximum breakage of 0.25%.

The Taishan facility is owned by Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co., a joint venture between EDF, the state-owned China General Nuclear Power Group and Guangdong Energy Group Co.

According to EDF, the plant is the result of the first agreement to generate nuclear power between China and a foreign investor. Construction started in 2009 and it started generating electricity in 2018.

Nuclear power is an important part of China’s plan to switch its energy mix from coal to clean energy sources in order to meet its CO2 emissions targets. According to the China Nuclear Energy Association, nuclear power accounted for 5% of the country’s electricity generation in 2020. China has 50 reactors operating and 18 under construction, according to the World Nuclear Association, an industry group made up of energy companies and nuclear power plant builders.

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The ministry also said a CNN report on Monday that China’s nuclear safety agency had raised allowable levels of radiation outside the facility to avoid the facility closing down was not true.

It said it will closely monitor levels of radioactivity, step up site and environmental monitoring, and instruct and oversee the operator to comply with safety standards. The ministry added that it would maintain communications with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the French nuclear safety authorities.

Write to Chong Koh Ping at [email protected]

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