China Says Nuclear Plant Operating Safely After Radiation Report
China General Nuclear Power Corp. said environmental indicators at and around its Taishan plant are normal, after CNN reported that a French company warned of an “imminent radiological threat” there.
Unit 1 at the plant in Guangdong is operating normally and
Unit 2 was reconnected to the grid last week after an overhaul, CGN said in a
statement on the plant’s website. The units have a combined capacity of 3.3
gigawatts and came online in 2018 and 2019.
French company Framatome warned the U.S. government of an
“imminent radiological threat” at the plant, CNN reported, citing unnamed U.S.
officials and documents the news network says it has reviewed.
Those documents include a letter seeking assistance sent to
the U.S. Department of Energy by Framatome, CNN said. Framatome helped build
and provides technical assistance to the plant about 130 kilometers (80 miles)
west of Hong Kong.
The letter has prompted several high-level meetings in
Washington, as well as discussions between the U.S. and French governments and
contact between the U.S. and Chinese governments, CNN said. U.S. officials do
not believe the situation poses a severe safety threat to the public or workers
at the plant, CNN said.
CGN owns 51% of the Taishan venture, while Framatome’s
parent, Electricite de France SA, has a 30% stake. Chinese utility firm
Guangdong Yuedian Group has the rest.
Framatome said the company “is supporting resolution of a
performance issue with the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant,” adding that “according
to the data available, the plant is operating within the safety parameters.”
EDF didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The report came amid a power shortage in Guangdong, the
country’s industrial hub, that has caused more than 20 cities to ration power
to some companies and factories.
China is the world’s third-biggest nuclear power market,
after the U.S. and France. It’s never had a serious nuclear accident on
domestic soil.
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