China plans to spend 80 billion yuan on nuclear power plant security

Beijing moved a step closer to ending its ban on new nuclear projects when it unveiled a plan to spend nearly 80 billion yuan (HK$99 billion) by 2015 to upgrade security standards at nuclear facilities.

A five-year nuclear safety plan, approved by the State Council in late May and released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Tuesday, has prompted another round of speculation that Beijing may resume its ambitious nuclear expansion plans soon.

But experts have cautioned against such optimism, saying the suspension of new nuclear project approvals, imposed in the wake of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, is unlikely to be lifted until the completion of a once-a-decade leadership transition next month.

Although nuclear officials and power company executives are bullish on nuclear power, experts say Beijing will have to scale back its nuclear ambitions amid widespread public scepticism and concerns at home and abroad about the safety of such power.

The safety plan, which lays out a road map for China's nuclear safety to reach international standards by 2020, says that between 2011 and 2015, 79.8 billion yuan would be earmarked for upgrading security measures and promoting technological innovation to improve nuclear safety.

It evaluated the safety of China's nuclear-power industry and recommended phasing out older reactors sooner, sharing and improving access to information, enhancing research and development of safety and improving the handling of radioactive waste.