China’s Taishan nuclear plant ‘operating safely’, French firm says
- Amid report of ‘radiological threat’, Framatome says staff helping to fix performance issues at facility
- Operations at reactors in Guangdong within safety parameters, it says
A French company responsible for maintenance at a nuclear power plant in southern China said the facility was operating safely, amid reports of a “radiological threat” at the plant.
“According to the data available, the plant is operating within the safety parameters,” it said.
The company also said staff were working to help fix a “performance issue” at the plant.
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The statement followed a CNN report that Framatome last week asked the US Department of Energy for help to fix a gas leak at the plant.
According to the report, Framatome warned of an “imminent radiological threat” amid concerns that the local safety authorities were raising the limits of acceptable radiation levels outside the plant to avoid shutting it down.
Framatome is a subsidiary of energy conglomerate Électricité de France (EDF), which owns 30 per cent of the Taishan plant. The rest is held by state-owned Guangdong General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).
CGN is on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List, restricting it from buying American technology without a waiver.
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In a statement on Monday, EDF said there had been an increase in the concentration of rare gases in one of the reactors at the Taishan plant. This was a common phenomenon, but EDF had asked for a special board of directors meeting to discuss this issue with plant managers, it said.
On Sunday, the plant said radiation levels around the facility were normal, and one of its reactors had recently completed its first overhaul.
“Unit 1 of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is currently operating at full power. Taishan Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 has been overhauled as planned and was successfully connected to the grid on June 10, 2021,” it said.
The plant, roughly 140km (87 miles) west of Hong Kong, was the site of what Framatome called “the largest international commercial contract signed in the history of the civil nuclear industry”.
In 2018, Taishan became the first nuclear power plant in the world to operate a Generation III+ reactor, or EPR.
Framatome has led the development of the EPR design, a model that is meant to be safer and more efficient than its predecessors.
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In 2019, EDF said Taishan’s two reactors were the most powerful in the world, capable of generating the annual electricity consumption of 5 million Chinese users, while preventing the emission of 21 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
It added that 40 French companies and 200 engineers were involved in the project, generating €2.4 billion (US$2.9 billion) in revenue. Nearly 800 people were required to operate both reactors.
The second Generation III+ reactor started operations in September 2019. Framatome signed a contract in April 2020 to provide the Taishan plant with eight years of engineering services and supply of spare parts.
