Reprocessing plant siting work halted in Lianyungang

The municipal government of Lianyungang in China's Jiangsu province has announced the suspension of site selection work for a planned Sino-French nuclear fuel reprocessing project. The move follows public protests against the project.

In a 6 August statement, CNNC Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing (CNFR) said, "At present, the Sino-French nuclear fuel cycle cooperation project is in the early stages of the project work. In accordance with the requirements of the national nuclear project, site selection work has started in Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Gansu and other provinces."

However, the Lianyungang municipal government announced today that it had decided to suspend site preparatory work. The move followed protests in the city after media reports suggested the project would be built in Lianyungang.

Site selection studies for the reprocessing plant are being conducted by Nuclear Science and Technology Co Ltd. The company's general manager, Xue Weiming, told Science & Technology Daily that the site will be finalized on the basis of scientific evidence, soliciting public opinion, agreement with the local government and ultimately by national decision-makers. "The site selection for the nuclear fuel cycle project will involve careful consideration of various factors, including seismic geology, rock formation, floods, man-made and external hazards," he said. "Our site work always demands scientific evidence and effective communication - the precautionary principle in decision-making."

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and France's Areva signed an agreement in November 2007 to assess the feasibility of setting up an 800 tonne per year reprocessing plant for used fuel in China. The plant would be operated by Areva.

In November 2010, an industrial agreement on the project was signed, while in April 2013 a further agreement was signed setting out the technical specifications for the plant. Then in March 2014 another agreement was signed to continue planning the project and to complete the business case for it. A memorandum of understanding followed, in June last year, which Areva said "formalizes the end of technical discussions, defines the schedule for commercial negotiations and confirms the willingness of both groups to finalize the negotiations in the shortest possible timeframe."

CNFR was established in 2011 to take responsibility for site selection and other preparatory work.

Jinta county, north of Jiayuguan in Gansu province, had earlier been touted as a potential site for the complex, which will reportedly occupy three square kilometres.

Construction of the reprocessing facility is expected to start in 2020 and be completed in 2030.

In addition to the reprocessing plant, the site will also house a used fuel storage facility with the capacity to hold 3000 tonnes of fuel. In addition, a high-level liquid waste vitrification facility is also planned.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News