Advertisement
Advertisement

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.

Ho said that one of the new emergency systems would supply water to bring down the temperature of the water used to cool down the reactors.

The system, which could run without electricity, received official acceptance from the National Energy Administration last month, he said.

The other system would kick in when the plant has no electricity. It would have enough power stored up to keep generators and various meters running in an emergency situation.

Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, former chairman of the energy advisory committee under the Environment Bureau, said the two measures would enhance the design of the facility by addressing possible risks brought by climate change.

"While the cooling system will prevent the reactor from getting overheated, which may result in a disastrous explosion, the extra backup of electricity will buy time to search for a standby generator so that the plant can keep measuring the reactor's temperature," Leung said.

Ho said both measures could also be applied to the nearby Ling Ao nuclear power plant in Guangdong in future.

The two plants recorded a total of four minor incidents last year that had no impact on the environment or public safety, the committee reported.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: New emergency systems to boost Daya Bay safety
Post