New emergency systems to boost safety at Daya Bay nuclear plant, Hong Kong's biggest power supplier
Two emergency backup systems will be up and running by the end of this year to prevent any potential overheating, the station's safety committee says.
One of Hong Kong's main power sources, the Daya Bay nuclear plant near Shenzhen, will have two emergency backup systems up and running by the end of this year to prevent any potential overheating, the station's safety committee says.
The systems will provide water and electricity for up to 72 hours, partly to cool down the plant that is about 50km away from the city and provides a quarter of Hong Kong's power needs.
A nuclear expert said the systems would improve the design of the 20-year-old plant.
Both measures were drawn up after Japan's nuclear disaster in 2011, when a tsunami triggered meltdowns in three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, a nuclear safety consultative committee under the Daya Bay facility said.
"The systems could be put into operation very soon," committee chairman Raymond Ho Chung-tai said yesterday, although he added that more statutory tests would be required.
Daya Bay now provides about 80 per cent of its power to Hong Kong.