Nuclear energy will be increasingly important in the new century but safety should come first, Tomihiro Taniguchi, Deputy Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told the 18th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology (SMiRT 18), being held in Beijing.
"Despite the safe operation of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP), the public is still concerned about nuclear safety. Terrorism in recent years has also aroused vast awareness of safety in nuclear usage," Taniguchi said.
"Asia and the pacific area are vibrant in developing nuclear technology and are supposed to give a boost to the safe use of nuclear power worldwide," said Taniguchi.
Asia has seen rapid growth in energy technology and it is currently the only area where nuclear power enjoys a bright future.
China is in great need of nuclear energy and has included it into its national electricity development program, said Li Ganjie, head of the China National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) at the conference.
Currently, China has nine nuclear power units in operation, with a combined installment capacity of 6.7 million kilowatts, accounting for 1.7 percent of the country's total installment capacity. By 2020, China's installed nuclear power capacity will rise to 40 million kilowatts, accounting for 4 percent of the national total.
"No incidents have taken place in all NPPs in China and no harmful impacts on the environment were reported in the past few years," said Wang Jun, vice-director with national nuclear safety administration. "But we also face challenges in supervision since the types of the reactors as well as the standards vary widely."
The NNSA will take measures to minimize hazards such as enhancing the surveillance and evaluation of safe operation, and promoting international nuclear cooperation.
It's the first time Beijing has hosted the biannual SMiRT since it was launched 34 years ago. The five-day Beijing SMiRT, scheduled to end of Friday, has attracted 252 representatives from 27 countries.
(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2005)
