China’s nuclear error and cover-up unlikely to hurt reactor exports, industry competitiveness

The operational blunder and subsequent cover-up attempt by staffers at one of mainland China’s nuclear power plants revealed by the authorities earlier this month will not dent the nation’s strategy to export reactors and has no direct implication on its competitiveness, according to industry experts.

George Borovas, a Tokyo-based partner and head of global nuclear group at international law firm Shearman & Sterling who has advised importers, exporters and governments on the development of nuclear projects, said he did not see any direct ramification from the operational non-compliance incident in the Yangjiang nuclear plant on China’s competitiveness as a reactor exporter.

“There is a difference between a staff operational issue at a plant in the domestic market and the safety and quality of nuclear equipment for exports,” he told the Post. “Having said that, given safety is paramount in the industry … how the regulator and operator develop a post-incident response to ensure transparency and the sharing of lessons learned is important [for the industry’s reputation].”

“From a global perspective, safety culture is a foundational principle of the nuclear industry where properly reporting and addressing safety issues in a transparent manner is essential.”

Four operators at the Yangjiang nuclear power plant in Guangdong province some 220 kilometres west of Hong Kong have been punished, for breaching operational guidelines and trying to cover up their errors by failing to record it as required, the ministry of environmental protection said on August 5, over a year after the incident happened.