Nuclear security law in the works: Lawmaker

In January, the National Energy Administration said it would resume the approval procedure of some key nuclear projects. It said China will "push forward nuclear project construction in coastal areas steadily while preserving sites designated for inland nuclear projects".

Public doubts over the safety of nuclear plants persist, however. Sun Qin, who is also chairman of the State-owned China National Nuclear Corp, admitted the biggest obstacle to inland nuclear projects is public perception.

"Technically, there is no difference between coastal and inland nuclear plants in terms of safety. More than half of the world's nuclear plants are built in inland regions. The problem is public perception. We have to strengthen our communications work," he said.

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Analysts said a national law covering nuclear safety may ease public concerns. At present, there are only some longstanding regulations, as well as the technical standards addressed in the two plans.

China, the world's largest energy user, has 20 operating nuclear reactors and 28 under construction, nearly half the total being built globally, according to the WNA.

Chai Guohan, chief engineer at the Ministry of Environmental Protection's nuclear and radiation safety center, said the law will be based on the two plans.

The plans outline security standards, procedures for handling radioactivity, emergency response and regulatory capability building. And instead of emphasizing accident prevention (the traditional thinking), the plans emphasize both prevention and alleviation of accidents.

Chai also stressed the importance of "top-level design" to ensure industry insiders' qualifications.

"Many developed countries have put nuclear safety in their top-level legislation," he said.

"China is also a large nuclear energy country. Nuclear facilities with high-level radioactive waste could pose the most serious risks to public safety if emergencies occur, so we need such regulations to promote the practitioners' professionalism and understanding of nuclear safety."

He said that the law will not involve the choice of specific technologies.

"China's current nuclear energy projects already meet the international standards for nuclear safety, but such laws are still needed to further stipulate the structure and responsibilities of China's nuclear emergency response system."

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