Hunan, Hubei appeal to restart inland nuclear power projects

(ECNS) - Delegations in Beijing from Hunan and Hubei provinces have been pushing to restart suspended inland nuclear power projects, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Thursday.

Plans to construct three inland nuclear power plants – Taohuajiang in Hunan, Dafan in Hubei, and Pengze in Jiangxi – should be put back on the agenda and launched during the 13th Five Year Plan, said He Yu, chairman of the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), at the sideline of the ongoing annual sessions. [Special coverage]

Proposals explaining core technical issues that concern the public have been addressed, so the time is right for the power plants to be built, He added.

Hunan is short on energy supply and relies heavily on power generated by coal transported from other provinces, which directly affects its economy and places a large burden on residents, he also said.

Although the Taohuajiang nuclear power plant will bring huge economic benefits to Hunan, security is a big issue, said Xiao Yimin, head of the Institute of Economics under the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences.

But He Yu of the CGN said inland nuclear energy generation has been proven secure, as inland nuclear power accounts for over 60 percent of the power supply in Russia, France and the United States.

In February 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission granted approval for Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces to each begin one of three nuclear power projects.

However, the State Council suspended the plan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Since 2013, local delegations have been appealing to resume inland nuclear power projects during annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body.