HAIYAN, China--In an apparent attempt to emphasize safety, the Chinese government showed the largest nuclear power plant in the country to the media on April 24.
HAIYAN, China--In an apparent attempt to emphasize safety, the Chinese government showed the largest nuclear power plant in the country to the media on April 24.The Qinshan nuclear plant in Haiyan county in Zhejiang province is located about 130 kilometers southwest of Shanghai. It is home to seven of the 15 nuclear reactors currently operating in China.The reactors in Qinshan have a combined output capacity of 4.3 gigawatts, a considerable portion of the 12-gigawatt output capacity of all nuclear reactors in China.Two more reactors, with an output capacity of 1 gigawatt each, are under construction, with the outer frames of the reactor buildings already completed. They are scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2014.One exhibit on the premises explained the differences in design from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan. It emphasized how the reactors in Qinshan differed from the aged, boiling water reactors of Fukushima."(The reactors in Qinshan) have learned amply from the experiences of the world's pressurized water reactors and have made improvements," according to the exhibit. "Measures have been taken to avert major accidents."