SHENZHEN, China--Overseas nuclear equipment manufacturers still expect demand for nuclear equipment to grow, despite the recent nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
SHENZHEN, China--Overseas nuclear equipment manufacturers still expect demand for nuclear equipment to grow, despite the recent nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
At the opening ceremony of the 2011 Nuclear Power Industry Exhibition held in early April in Shenzhen, China, Zhang Huazhu, the chairman of the China Nuclear Energy Association, gave a speech that made clear Beijing's determination to continue to develop nuclear technology.
There are 13 nuclear reactors in operation and 28 reactors under construction in China. Another 200 reactors are expected to be built in the future.
After the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, the Chinese government temporarily froze approvals of new reactors to ensure the safety of reactor operations.
Nuclear power is vital to China's power supply, underpinning the nation's rapid economic growth, sources said.
About 300 manufacturers from around the world participated in the three-day event. French firms, based in a country that relies heavily on nuclear power, attracted a great deal of attention.
Areva SA, a French nuclear equipment provider and claims to be a major presence in China for 30 years, was a major player at the event. Another 40 firms, all registered with the French Nuclear Power Industrial Society, attended.
French diplomats also appeared at the event.
Many foreign nuclear equipment manufacturers are cooperating to mitigate the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis. Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon visited Japan in late March and met Banri Kaieda, minister of economy, trade and industry, saying the Japanese government should use the French company as if it were a servant of the government.
U.S. firm General Electric, which helped build the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, also offered assistance when CEO Jeffrey Immelt met Kaieda on April 4.
However, anti-nuclear forces have been given new life, especially after the Fukushima incident was elevated to the same level as the accident at Chernobyl in 1986.
Germany suspended operations at seven reactors, while Switzerland froze reactor construction projects.
In the United States, activists' calls to shutter nuclear plants have escalated.
Daniel Holland, an analyst at the U.S. investment rating agency Morningstar, said that the nuclear power industry may stagnate if the Fukushima accident has a long-term negative impact on public opinion.
(This article was written by Keiko Yoshioka and Ikki Yamakawa.)