China set to end nuclear moratorium
26 Oct 2012 5:10 AM IST
China said today that it is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a moratorium imposed after Japan's Fukushima disaster last year.
The government said it hopes to generate 30 per cent of China's power from solar, wind and other renewable sources as well as from nuclear energy by the end of 2015. That's up from an earlier target of 15 per cent from renewables plus 5 per cent from nuclear by 2020.
The Communist government is aggressively promoting wind, solar, hydro and other alternative energy sources to reduce pollution from coal plants and curb surging reliance on imported oil, which it sees as a national security risk. The Cabinet today passed plans on nuclear power safety and development that said construction of nuclear power plants would resume "steadily."
Only a small number of plants will be built, and only in coastal areas, according to a Cabinet announcement about the plans. The plants will meet the most stringent safety standards, it said.
No date was given for resuming construction of nuclear plants.
"The inspection results show that nuclear security is guaranteed in China," according to a government report on its energy policy also released today. "China implements the principle of 'safety first' in the whole process of nuclear power station planning."
The government said it hopes to generate 30 per cent of China's power from solar, wind and other renewable sources as well as from nuclear energy by the end of 2015. That's up from an earlier target of 15 per cent from renewables plus 5 per cent from nuclear by 2020.
The Communist government is aggressively promoting wind, solar, hydro and other alternative energy sources to reduce pollution from coal plants and curb surging reliance on imported oil, which it sees as a national security risk. The Cabinet today passed plans on nuclear power safety and development that said construction of nuclear power plants would resume "steadily."
Only a small number of plants will be built, and only in coastal areas, according to a Cabinet announcement about the plans. The plants will meet the most stringent safety standards, it said.
No date was given for resuming construction of nuclear plants.
"The inspection results show that nuclear security is guaranteed in China," according to a government report on its energy policy also released today. "China implements the principle of 'safety first' in the whole process of nuclear power station planning."
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