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CNN news television previously reported that the US government last week assessed a report of a leak from the Taishan nuclear power plant in densely populated Guangdong province, when Framatome warned of an “imminent radiological threat.”
However, an anonymous US official quoted by CNN said that President Joe Biden’s administration was convinced that the situation at the facility had not yet reached “crisis level.”
French energy giant EDF, which owns a majority stake in Framatome, said inert gas had accumulated in the primary cooling circuit of Reactor 1 at the Taizán power plant.
However, an EDF representative, who did not want to reveal his name, said the problem was manageable.
We have not reached the crash scene when the active mass melted.
“We have not reached the scene of the accident when the active mass melted,” he explained. – We are not talking about pollution, we are talking about control [dujų] launch. “
Inert gases are chemically inactive elements. Xenon and Krypton were released from the Taishan Power Plant systems.
The gas entered the cooling system when the housings of some nuclear fuel assemblies were damaged, an EDF spokesman said.
The gas was collected and treated to remove all radioactive impurities and subsequently released to the environment. According to the company representative, this process is normal and “complies with the rules.”
The Framatome report says the plant is operating “within safe parameters” despite a “performance issue.” EDF called an extraordinary meeting of the council of the power plant in relation to this incident.
David Fishman, director of energy consultancy The Lantau Group, said a small amount of radioactive material could enter the cooling system “where it normally shouldn’t be” if the fuel assembly casing breaks.
“Inoperative fuel or cracked fuel [rinklė] “It is quite common and common, although clearly undesirable, but it is not uncommon in the nuclear fuel industry,” Fishman told AFP.
“Indicators – Normal”
CNN, citing a Framatome letter to the US Department of Energy, said the concern included allegations that the Chinese safety authority intended to increase permitted levels of radioactive contamination in the area around the power plant. so it wouldn’t close.
The television added that US officials had consulted with French and Chinese officials about the situation.
The Energy Department has not yet responded to AFP’s request for comment on the situation at the Taihan power plant.
China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), the Chinese state-owned company that operates the plant, said in a statement issued late Sunday that “the environmental performance in and around the Taishan nuclear power plant is normal.”
The company did not mention leaks or incidents at the power plant, but emphasized that the power plant met “nuclear safety requirements and power plant specifications.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which depends on the United Nations, has also indicated that it has contacted the China Nuclear Energy Board in this regard.
“Currently, the Agency has no information that a radiological incident has occurred,” the IAEA said in a statement.
AFP has yet to receive a response from China’s Foreign Ministry or the country’s nuclear energy group to a request for comment on the situation in Taishan.
According to Fishman, the report of the cracked fuel assembly should be registered by the China Nuclear Safety Administration; I had to submit a report on how this fault would be fixed.
The expert said that Framatome had likely contacted the United States to obtain permission to carry out repairs in Tashkent, as CGN is included in the lists of entities sanctioned by Washington.
“Yes [„Framatome“] intending to pass on any information obtained while working in the United States, they should have applied for an exemption … because CGN is in the United States [paskelbtame] entities [kuriems taikomos sankcijos] Fishman said, emphasizing that information, data or technology cannot normally be transferred from the United States to China.
EPR reactors
The Taishan power station, in operation since 2018, is one of the first in the world to be equipped with a new generation of EPR reactors. The construction projects of this type of compressed water reactor in the United Kingdom, France and Finland have taken more than a year longer than expected.
There are currently two EPR reactor units operating at the Taihan Power Plant. The power plant is located on the southern coast of the most populous southern province of Guangdong in China.
EPR reactors are expected to provide greater safety and efficiency compared to earlier model systems and generate less radioactive waste.
In 2013, the then French Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited the Taishan Power Station. During this trip, he tried to emphasize that France’s nuclear power expertise would benefit China’s vast market.
In 2019, nuclear power plants produced less than 5 percent. China consumes electricity, according to the National Energy Administration. However, this ratio is expected to increase over time as Beijing strives to make the country climate neutral by 2060.
There are currently 47 nuclear power plants in operation in China with a total electricity generating capacity of 48.75 million. gigawatts. According to this indicator, the country is the third in the world after the United States and France. In addition, Beijing has invested billions of dollars in the development of nuclear power.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping praised the two countries for their close ties, opening the project for a Russian nuclear power plant under construction in China.
AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Xi Jinpingas
In December, state media reported that China had successfully ignited its “artificial sun” for the first time, the HL-2M tokamak-type nuclear fusion reactor. It has a temperature of more than 150 million plasma currents sustained by powerful magnetic fields. Celsius degrees.
This reactor is the largest and most advanced experimental nuclear leaching facility. Scientists hope that these reactors will become a new source of clean and powerful energy.
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