China passes new law to strengthen nuclear safety
Regulator to be given more powers and systems set up to improve information disclosure as new reactors are built across the country
China’s parliament passed a new nuclear safety law on Friday aimed at improving regulation in the nuclear power sector as new projects are built across the country.
Officials say the law will give more powers to the regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), and establish new systems that will improve the disclosure of information on issues like radiation, and prevent or minimise risks from nuclear accidents.
“It fully embodies our ‘safety first’ approach and reflects our image as a responsible power, and also our strong determination to develop nuclear energy and the use of nuclear technology using the highest safety standards,” NNSA vice-head Guo Chengzhan said at a briefing on Friday.
China is in the middle of an ambitious reactor building programme aimed at bringing total nuclear capacity to 58 gigawatts by the end of the decade, up from 35 gigawatts now.
But weak and opaque governance has long been seen as an industry problem, especially when it comes to determining the precise roles of the government, the military and state-owned nuclear enterprises on issues such as the handling of nuclear materials and the disposal of spent fuel.
