Nuclear safety is a significant part of national safety. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment held a regular press conference on April 15. At the conference, Guo Chengzhan, the head of the Department of Nuclear Facility Safety Regulation, expressed that the total number of China’s nuclear power units ranked the world’s second and the units under construction the first at present. Nuclear technologies were widely and highly adopted, and the general safety of nuclear and radiation kept stable. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (the National Nuclear Safety Administration) would always uphold the overall national safety concept and nuclear safety concept, and move forward the modernization of nuclear safety regulation system and regulation ability in all rounds in order to provide a powerful guarantee to ensure the nuclear and radiation safety.

Now we have 47 sets of nuclear power units in operation while 15 sets in construction, 18 sets of nuclear fuel cycle facilities, 150,000 radiation sources in usage, and nearly 200,000 sets of ray equipments. Guo Chengzhan said that the safety condition of the operating nuclear power units in China was good, the quality of the power units in construction could be controlled, and the nuclear fuel cycle facilities were running safely.

Recently, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has released the 2019 comprehensive index rankings of the world’s nuclear power units. Totally 411 sets of power units in operation were involved in the assessment and 65 has achieved full marks in the world. While in China, 45 sets of power units were involved in the assessment, and 23 have achieved full marks, ranking the world’s top.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment printed and distributed 355 pieces of supervision and law enforcement procedures of Level III of the nuclear and radiation safety regulation system, which made the modes and standards of law enforcement of on-site supervision and inspection more clear and made new progress in nuclear safety regulation system and regulation ability. “To implement the requirements of nuclear safety law, we have carried out laws and regulations mechanism construction, built a regulation standard system conforming to those of the international society and China’s situations, and established and improved an institution system.” Guo Chengzhan said.

Did the CDVID-19 epidemic have any impact on the nuclear power industry? “No nuclear power plant has suspended or closed for the epidemic.” Tang Bo, the head of the Department of Nuclear Power Safety Regulation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment indicated that the operating nuclear power plants shouldered important tasks of ensuring power supply during the Spring Festival, and the nuclear power plants had made guarantee plans of power generating before the Festival. Now we can see that the guarantee plans of power generating played a good part in ensuring the safe and stable operation of nuclear power plants during the epidemic.

“We have built an automatic monitoring network in China which covers the cities of prefecture-level and above across the country. Meanwhile, a monitoring system for supervision and a monitoring system for emergency have been set up around major nuclear facilities. There are 1,600 monitoring sites all over the country, including those for monitoring water, air, soil and creatures. And the monitoring data will be released on the website of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in time.” Guo Chengzhan said. Based on the improvement of long-term supervision ability, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has basically established information systems for monitoring of radiation environment quality, emergency response to nuclear and radiation accidents, nuclear safety permission management, experience and feedback of nuclear power plants, and the utilization and management of nuclear technologies.

According to the nuclear safety law, the capacity of radiative waste disposal should be adapted to the requirements of nuclear energy development. “By the end of last year, some 16,000 cubic meters of prepared waste had been generated by all the running nuclear power plants totally. Three radiative waste disposal sites were in operation, with a disposal capacity of 76,000 cubic meters. Now 45,000 cubic meters waste has been received and disposed.” Jiang Guang, the head of the Department of Radiation Source Safety Regulation, introduced that three running disposal sites were under reconstruction and expanding at present. Relevant departments and units were looking for new disposal sites, planning to select locations to build new disposal sites in provinces with relatively concentrated nuclear development.

“Technically speaking, it is the acceptance of the public, rather than the construction of a radiative waste disposal site, that is difficult.” Jiang Guang suggested the Ministry of Ecology and Environment would actively cooperate with relevant departments in publicity and information disclosure and disclose monitoring data, letting the public learn more about radiative waste disposal.