Taishan nuclear plant: China admits damage to fuel rods

The Chinese government has acknowledged damage to fuel rods at an atomic energy plant within the south of the country but said no radioactivity had leaked. China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said the matter was “common” with no need for concern. The admission comes after CNN reported that the U.S. was assessing a reported leak at the power. The French energy firm which helps operate the plant in Kwangtung earlier reported a “performance issue”. On Monday, a spokesperson for EDF said a controversy with fuel rods had led to the build-up of gases, which had to be released into the atmosphere. ‘Performance issue’ reported at Chinese nuclear facility In its report, CNN said the corporate had warned the federal government that China’s nuclear regulator had raised limits on permissible levels of radiation outside the plant to avoid shutting it down. But in a very statement on Wednesday, China’s environment ministry said this report wasn’t true. The statement – its first official confirmation of the incident – said while the regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), had reviewed the employment of noble gases in a very reactor, this had “nothing to try and do with the detection of radiation outside the nuclear plant”. Noble gases – also called inert gases – are a bunch of stable chemical elements which have very low reactivity. they’re often utilized in situations where scientists don’t want chemical reactions, for example in nuclear reactors or lighting. An increase in radiation levels was detected in Taishan’s Unit 1 reactor, but this was within the parameters for safe operations, the ministry said. The ministry said the rise was caused by damage to the cladding of a tiny low number of fuel rods. Fuel rods are sealed metal tubes that hold nuclear materials accustomed to fuel the setup. Of the 60,000 fuel rods within the reactor, the damaged ones accounted for “less than 0.01 percent”, the ministry said. Its statement said “fuel-rod damage during the operation of atomic power plants is unavoidable” and “a common phenomenon”. The Taishan plant provides power for the Guangzhou and Shenzhen areas, both major manufacturing hubs. China has dozens of nuclear plants and has invested billions of dollars to develop its energy sector.