NDRC to Accelerate Approval of Coastal Nuclear Power Projects

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources China (Beijing, China)--China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) plans to accelerate the approval procedure for nuclear power projects totaling 15 gigawatts (GW) in coastal areas, according to reports from a meeting held by the panel on June 24.

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The Central Government of China has repeatedly emphasized the need to relaunch nuclear power along coastal areas. The NDRC's priority list includes Phase II of the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant in Dalian City of the Liaoning province; Phase I of the Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant in Huludao City of Liaoning; Phase II of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant in the Shandong province; Phase II of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in the Zhejiang province; Phase I of the Lufeng Nuclear Power Plant in the Guangdong province; and the Rongcheng Nuclear Power Demonstrative Project in the Shandong province.

These projects have a total of 12 units with an installed capacity of about 15 GW, which is almost equal to the total present installed capacity of operational nuclear power units in China. As of the end of May, China's installed capacity of nuclear power units in commercial operation was 17.78 GW.

According to China's 12th Five-Year (2011-2015) Energy Development Plan, the installed capacity of nuclear power units under construction or operation in China must reach 88 GW by the end of 2020. As of the end of March, nuclear power units under construction or operation in China had a combined installed capacity of 48.7 GW.

Based on the assumption of 1 GW for each nuclear power unit, to achieve the goal set for 2020, China must begin construction on an average of six nuclear power units each year. In the peak period, China would have about 40 nuclear power units under construction at the same time.

Following the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, the Chinese government suspended approval of all nuclear power projects and conducted a comprehensive safety inspection of all existing nuclear facilities. The results showed that all nuclear power units under construction or operation in China satisfy Chinese law and regulations, as well as the specifications of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

However, due to various reasons, construction of nuclear power units planned in the coastal area has been repeatedly postponed. "We are well prepared to kick off construction of these projects once they have received approval from the NDRC," according to the owners of these projects.

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