A proposed nuclear power plant in east China has stirred a controversy with local residents claiming that the project will mar the beauty of the coastal area.
BEIJING: A proposed nuclear power plant in east China has stirred a controversy with local residents claiming that the project will mar the beauty of the coastal area and pose a potential environmental threat, state media reported.
The planned location of Rushan Nuclear Power Plant southeast of Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea, a few kms away from a popular holiday resort, Yintan, has evoked concerns among the local residents opposing it since the Shangdong Provincial government unveiled its plan.
The Yintan National Tourism Resort, described as "Oriental Hawaii" for its scenery, is home to more than 100,000 permanent residents and the number swells three fold in summer when visitors from Beijing and Tianjin throng the seaside holiday homes in the region.
"It is very ridiculous for the government to have decided to build a nuclear power plant in such a densely- populated area with such beautiful seascape, said netizen "Monica" on the on-line forum, "No Nuclear in Yintan", according to official Xinhua news agency.
"The nuclear plant is only five kms from Yintan and zero kms from the sea," the initiator of the forum, a local resident and law professor, surnamed Wu said.
Residents are more worried as three plants are planned along the province's 120-kilometer coastline, the report said.
But, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China said the project must be examined and approved by the administration before construction begins. The national environment watchdog said it has not received any application from the local authority.
"If the authorities evaluation report shows the locale is not appropriate, the project will be cancelled," Wang Yongxiao, a senior project official, said.
"The nuclear power plant is not that horrible and the residents must have some understanding of the project," he said, adding they were seeking public opinion about the plant from local residents, who however are viewing it with skepticism.
Residents say the project officials hastened to solicit public opinion in order to precede a SEPA draft regulation scheduled to be completed around December 15, as it is likely to stipulate that the newly-planned nuclear power plant should not be too close to the tourist resort.
The local government said last year that the plant would guarantee Shandong a safe and reliable energy source to
support its economic growth.
Four Chinese companies, including the China Nuclear Engineering and Construction (Group) Corporation (CNECC), Shandong Luneng Development Group Co. Ltd, Huadian Power International Corporation Ltd. and Shandong International Trust and Investment Corporation, have invested in the project, in which CNECC owns a 51-per cent stake.
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