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China's Emerging Anti- Nuclear Movement NOVEMBER 29, 2007 | No. 663 CHINA'S EMERGING ANTI- NUCLEAR MOVEMENT On August 18, 2007, China officially started the construction of the Hongheyan nuclear power plant, 110 km north of Dalian city in TCHINA'S EMERGING ANTI- Liaoning province, kicking off a new round of nuclear power building NUCLEAR MOVEMENT 1 in China. Using China's own CPR 1000 nuclear technology, the AGREEMENT ON PLUTONIUM Hongheyan nuclear power plant will have six reactors, each with a DISPOSAL PLAN 3 capacity of 1,000 MW. Though Chinese media reported an assurance GREEN PARTY & GREENPEACE from governmental officials on the safety of nuclear reactors, in a rare WANT TO STOP ANGRA-33. stance China Daily publicized concerns over nuclear safety from BRAZILIAN NGOs AGAINST residents in nearby Changxing Island. NUCLEAR ENERGY PLANS 4 ENEL AND NUCLEAR POWER IN (663.5843) Pacific Environment - The about the proposed reactor and the ITALY 5 third largest island in China, Changxing impending construction activity from the WORLD NUCLEAR INDUSTRY Island was once mapped into a national Dalian Environment Protection Agency. STATUS REPORT 2007 6 Spotted Seal nature reserve. Each According to Wang, the government of spring, spotted seals and their pups Dalian was not even invited during the IN BRIEF 9 harbor along the western shore of the decision-making process of the Changxing Island while migrating to the proposed Hongheyang NPP and no open seas of the West Pacific. adequate Environmental Impact Assessment has been conducted. It is The site of the Hongheyan nuclear power very likely some local environmental plant used to be a breeding ground of officials intentionally revealed the the spotted seal and a stopover for difference between the Dalian migratory birds traveling between the government and the advocates of Russian Far East and Australia. Being a nuclear power plant. But no one seems coastal flat with sparsely populated to be able to constitute an effective force villages, this area was chosen as a to stop the nuclear power project. potential site for a nuclear power plant as early as 1978. In 1995, nearly ten But concerns about the growth of years after the Chernobyl accident, the nuclear power are widely spread across construction plan was revisited. At the the country in light of China's intended time, a senior official was opposed to new nuclear era. China says it plans to the building of a nuclear power plant build 40 nuclear reactors with a total near the tourist city of Dalian. The capacity of 40,000MW by 2020. Eighteen construction was subsequently Chinese provinces have been bidding for postponed for ten years. hosting nuclear power plants and have been actively in designing blueprints for Wang Zhifeng, a Dalian retired worker, the growth of nuclear power. expressed his outrage on the proposed nuclear plant, saying it would mean In March 2005, Premier Wen Jiabao doomsday for China's spotted seal and publicly announced his support for a the entire Bohai Sea marine ecosystem. rapid development of the nuclear power In the spring of 2006, Wang learned sector. The China Nuclear Science Academy submitted a letter to Chinese testing site in Qinghai into a radiation- online anti-nuclear debates on nuclear leadership urging the authority to free tourist site. Only modest coverage power plans in provinces like Fujian prioritize nuclear power production due of uranium mining radiation incidents and Hainan were spread on the to China's energy shortage and rising were reported in Chinese media. internet. demand for electricity. Currently, Therefore, Chinese people in general nuclear power consists of 12% of the are less aware that the nuclear threat is Northwest China, a legacy of nuclear total electricity output, while the largest close to their own regions, and no wasteland part of the produced power comes longer just an issue limited to other Nuclear weapon testing in Xinjiang and from coal. However, it is estimated that countries. Qinghai has led to a massive increase China will run out of coal by the year in cancer and congenital diseases 2050. This situation is going to change. In among people living close to the sites. Shandong province there are three Chinese government documents show Besides the real shortage of power, proposed nuclear power stations, two higher cancer rates and other more economic incentive is another reason near Wehai's famous Silver Beach common diseases like tumors, why local provinces actively lobby to resort and one near Rushan, six leukemia and birth defects such as cleft have a nuclear reactor in their own kilometers away. Last year, a well palates in the regions. In Xinjiang, Lake province. International business interest organized anti-nuclear petition Lop Nor was wiped out from the map is another factor-- Westing-house and campaign started against these due to nuclear testing and related the Russian nuclear power sector have proposed nuclear plants by Dahai human activities. been cultivating good relations with the (meaning 'Ocean') Commune. The Chinese government and actively founder of the Dahai Commune, In Gansu, uranium mining and promote the sale of their equipment. nicknamed as Yi Wuchen ('Wearing-No- corruption of officials with the military Dust'), walked along China's coastlines mining company have led to grave China is ill-prepared for the coming of in the year 2000 and witnessed first human tragedies. One Chinese activist nuclear power. Besides the hand how Chinese seas were under who spoke out is Sun Xiaodi, a former astronomical financial investment serious ecological threat. Later, Yi Project 792 worker. Since 1988 the required, lack of nuclear technical Wuchen initiated the Dahai Commune. whistleblower has repeatedly traveled personnel could pose long term to Beijing to reveal the scandal of challenges. Only three Chinese With help from student volunteers, the corruption that saturates Chinese universities supply nuclear-related group built up an online community of nuclear industry, government funding talents. Given the lack of training and ocean lovers. Through this online allocated to relocate uranium company experience, as well as lax quality community, in 2006, Dahai Commune staff, as well as frequent discharges of management, China's nuclear power spread its open letter to Premier Wen radioactive waste into the Gansu facility would not stay immune to the Jiabo, expressing public opposition on waterways. In 2006, Sun Xiaodi was structural problems already widely the planned three reactors on the awarded the Nuclear-Free Future occurring across economical sectors. Shangdong peninsula. A petition letter Resistance Award by the international was also delivered to the State community. (see Nuclear Monitor 650, Chinese citizens worry about nuclear Environment Protection Administration 15 December 2006) development to voice their environmental concerns. Most citizens' nuclear awareness Local concerned citizens in Weihai also International Opinion comes from memories of the Chernobyl formed a self-initiated network called In Asia, the most well-connected anti- accident in 1986. Chinese media had "Silver Beach Environmental Initiators". nuclear network is the No Nukes Asia covered the catastrophe without any They have been actively appealing to Forum, which has organized forums in censorship. News about nuclear various governmental agencies in various East Asian countries. Though accidents in Japan's nuclear power Beijing to reflect the need of protecting the member groups in South Korea, plants has also been timely reported in Silver Beach. The group stated that for Japan and Taiwan have been active China. Chinese media had also been such a nuclear project, a public hearing nuclear watchdogs, the decentralized open in publicizing anti-nuclear rallies should have been organized before the network does not have much capacity in Taiwan and planned Taiwanese plan was approved. The group to function as a facilitator of the anti- nuclear waste shipments to North demands that the government to nuclear movement in mainland China. Korea and international criticism around promote renewable energy to meet it. And each year, the Stop Castor energy needs. In July 2007 in Niger, where a Chinese campaign in Germany also reaches the company is searching for uranium Chinese TV news. Another anti-nuclear campaign supply, Niger's Tuareg-led rebels happened in Hunan on July 25, when kidnapped a Chinese uranium dealer, However, environmental impacts of the China National Nuclear Corporation Zhang Guohua, an executive at nuclear power and nuclear wastes (CNNC) signed an agreement with Chinese uranium company Sino-U. The within China have not been reported Hunan provincial government to build group demanded his company stop its much in Chinese media. Most recent the Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Station. activities in the desert region. Niger publicity has focused on the This would be the first nuclear power Movement for Justice (MNJ) said they transformation of a previous nuclear plant in an inland province. Similar cannot allow the Chinese to continue 2 NUCLEAR MONITOR 663 extracting natural resources while that by 2020 the Chinese demand for environmental impacts would be civilians are being killed. uranium could be equal to Australia's enormous and risk of any possible entire annual export performance. Even radiation accidents would destroy the On March 8 2007, the Chinese though nuclear energy will not be used confidence and trust of citizens on the language Southern Weekend in Australia for sometime, it still safety of the nuclear power plants. mentioned a German Green Party considers export to China. Within the environmental policy spokesperson and Australian politics, the Greens in Current online anti-nuclear campaigns also a congress person who showed parliament, like their counterparts in have mostly been "not in my backyard" her disappointment over China's Germany, disagree with uranium export ones. And it would be logical to form pursuit of nuclear power. to China. (However, uranium export to an inter-regional alliance for joint China may be less likely after Labor advocacy.
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