Discussion of the location for a nuclear plant in Anhui Province has kicked off, arousing great concern among the public. Anqing, Wuhu, and Chizhou are some of the hot places that are very likely to be chosen.

Early last month, the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group set up an office in Anhui to take care of the nuclear plant construction issue in Anhui province. They planned to fulfill the basic feasibility study by the end of this year. On February 16, the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission signed an agreement with the Guangdong Nuclear Power Group. Under the Agreement on the Framework on Jointly Developing the Nuclear Project in Anhui Province, the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission has entrusted the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Designing Institute to choose the construction site for the nuclear plant.

Being a state-owned enterprise focusing on nuclear power generation, the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group currently has two nuclear power plants, the Dayawan nuclear power plant and the first phase of the Ling'ao nuclear power plant, with a total installation capacity of 4 million kilowatts. The company has reached a world-advanced level in terms of the plant’s operation, maintenance, technical support, safety issue and quality management.

Apart from the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, the China Electric Power Investment Group also has a nuclear plant building plan in Anhui province.

Due to the special requirement posed by nuclear power industry, most of China's nuclear power plants were built in coastal areas. When China decided to build a nuclear power plant in the country's interior area, it placed a strict requirement for the selection of the site, and the issue therefore has aroused great attention among the public.

A staff member from the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission said that at present, experts from the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group were gathering in Anqing to attend an initial discussion on the issue, while people from the China Electric Power Investment Group had gone to Wuhu and Chizhou for inspection. During the initial stage of the inspection, experts will discuss whether these places had met specific criteria required by nuclear industry, and their transportation and environmental protection situation. Because of the special feature of the nuclear industry, the initial inspection work will be strict and comprehensive, and it is expected that the site selection alone will involve an investment to the tune of millions of yuan.
 
(China News Service July 11, 2006)