China to slow down approvals of nuke projects

China will be cautious in pursuing nuclear power and is likely to approve only three or four projects each year.

Following the nuclear leak in Japan in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Chinese government announced a suspension of approvals for nuclear power stations. It also conducted rigorous safety checks at all nuclear projects, including those under construction. No new project was approved or started last year.

"Projects that had already received approval before the suspension will likely start construction in the second half of this year," according to Xiao Xinjian, a nuclear industry expert at the National Energy Research Institute, affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission.

The country had been accelerating its nuclear development since 2008, with 14 reactors approved in 2008 and six in 2009. China had six new projects approved before the Japanese nuclear crisis. Construction was suspended because of safety concerns.

But according to Xiao's estimates, the country will see a boom in the construction of nuclear projects between 2013 and 2015.

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Tags: nuclear approvals. nuclear crisis, Chinese nuclear projects