China will triple the number of stations to monitor atmospheric radiation levels to nearly 500 as part of its nuclear security plan to check radioactivity levels from neighbouring countries, including India.
China will triple the number of stations to monitor atmospheric radiation levels to nearly 500 as part of its nuclear security plan to check radioactivity levels from neighbouring countries, including India.
The stations will cover Chinese cities and its borders.
"We plan to build another 135 auto-monitoring stations this year in a bid to gradually improve the network and strengthen the monitoring capacity in nuclear energy security," Guo Chengzhan, head of nuclear and radiation security management, at the Ministry of Environmental Protection was quoted as saying by state-run China Daily today.
China currently has 161 stations, and the number will be increased to 500 to create a comprehensive network covering all major cities in China as well as ports in border regions, he said without naming any specific countries.
The move is also aimed at ensuring that China receives accurate and timely data on the possible influence of neighbouring countries on radiation levels, he said.
China's neighbours with nuclear power capabilities includes, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Japan.
Besides having 31 nuclear power stations with a total installed capacity of 29.69 million kilowatts building another 23 units with capacity of 26.09 million kilowatt, China is also major nuclear weapons power.
The stations now in place release hourly data for major cities and areas near nuclear power plants to the public via the National Radiation Environmental Data Evaluation System website.
By 2025, the overall security level of all nuclear facilities will reach the advanced world standard, radiation will be at a good level and China will have modern systems on security monitoring and management.
The plan envisions having 58 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2020 and at least 30 GW under construction, which would make China the second-largest country, behind the US, in terms of installed nuclear capacity, Shi Lishan, deputy director of nuclear power at the National Energy Administration.
Nuclear power currently contributes about two per cent of China's electricity, data from the China Electricity Council shows.
In addition to the strengthened monitoring capacity, the plan listed nine other major tasks to guarantee security in the growing nuclear energy industry, including speeding up the treatment of radioactive waste.
China plans to build five disposal sites to deal with waste with low and intermediate levels of radioactivity, and two to three sites for those with high levels, Kang Yufeng, a senior nuclear energy official with the environmental ministry said without disclosing the locations of the sites.
"We have conducted research in locating such fields for high-level radioactive waste and have some candidates," he said, adding that the sites will be buried 500 to 1,000 meters below ground, with a stable geological structure and far from residents.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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