Environmental Impact Reports for Multiple Nuclear Energy Projects Including Huakun-1 Approved

Recently, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu chaired an executive meeting of the Ministry, at which multiple national nuclear safety review and supervision matters were deliberated and approved in principle. Among them, the environmental impact report (site selection stage) and the site selection safety analysis report review for the highly anticipated "Huakun-1" Science and Technology Demonstration Project successfully passed deliberation.

The meeting also deliberated and approved in principle the environmental impact report (construction stage) and the construction license application review and supervision for Units 5 and 6 of the Shandong Haiyang Nuclear Power Project, as well as the environmental impact report (construction stage) and the construction license application review and supervision for Unit 3 of Phase I of the Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant. Sun Jinlong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, attended the meeting.

It is understood that the meeting placed strong emphasis on the core position of nuclear safety as the lifeline of nuclear industry development. Regarding first-of-a-kind demonstration projects and major projects such as "Huakun-1," the meeting explicitly required that close attention be paid to the application of new designs and new equipment related to nuclear safety, that strictness be upheld and supervision conducted in accordance with the law, and that the nuclear safety responsibility system and quality management system operate efficiently.

Industry analysis points out that with the smooth progress of the site selection review for the "Huakun-1" demonstration project, as well as the acceleration of the new Haiyang nuclear power units and the Xuwei nuclear heating project, China is taking solid steps in the fields of advanced nuclear energy technology innovation, commercial nuclear power capacity expansion, and comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy (such as industrial heating), accelerating the construction of a modern nuclear safety regulatory system, and safeguarding the high-quality development of the nuclear energy industry with high-level safety assurance.