Hong Kong experts flag fresh concern over Guangdong nuclear plant after serious flaws found in similar French facility
Green groups ask for answers on potential problems at Taishan nuclear power station being built 130km from the city
Fresh questions are being asked about whether a Guangdong nuclear power plant being built just 130km west of Hong Kong could have the same serious structural flaws found in tests at a similar reactor in Normandy in northern France.
Green groups and planning experts say cities across the region should consult each other on the potential environmental impacts of nuclear projects, including that at Taishan.
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Previous anomalies identified in the steel structure of the Flamanville 3 reactor’s lid and bottom included substandard mechanical resistance and excess carbon concentration in the metal, making it prone to small cracks which can spread.
But France’s Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) was told last week that new material and sampling tests showed carbon segregation had extended “beyond mid-thickness” in the steel. French manufacturers Areva and EDF said they would extend tests deeper into the steel and have results ready by the end of the year.
Work at Flamanville’s 1,650MW European pressurised reactor, or EPR, began in 2007. Work was scheduled for completion in 2012, but it has been delayed until 2018 at triple its original cost.
It is not known how Taishan’s operator, state-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Power (CGN), will take into account the findings. The plant’s first two 1,750MW Areva-manufactured EPRs are expected to commence operation as early as next year even though the French test report has yet to be completed.