Solar farm may spell end for China’s plan to build nuclear plant on North Korea’s border
Renewable development on site earmarked for reactors raises speculation the authorities have gone cold on the idea
China has set up a solar farm near the North Korean border on a site previously earmarked for a nuclear power plant, in an apparent sign that the authorities have abandoned plans to build a reactor.
The Baishan solar farm in Jingyu county, Jilin province was recently connected to the local power grid after a three-month construction period plagued with problems.
A farmer living near Baishan reservoir said solar panels had been put up over the past few months and now covered half of a large swathe of elevated land by the lake’s west bank.
The solar plant can generate up to 10 megawatts of power, provincial newspaper Jilin Daily reported in July.
According to the report, construction of the facility, which took place between April and June, encountered many problems, including a funding shortage, low temperatures, rainy weather and geological conditions that suggested the site was unsuitable for a solar power facility.
Nuclear plants need to be built on stable, rock-solid ground and the Baishan farmer said construction workers had to bore holes and pour cement on to the ground to hold the panels.