China has opened a selection of its nuclear electricity plants to tourism, in a bid to generate public support for what it sees as an important plank in its clean energy program.
Suspicions
The Chinese have exhibited suspicion of nuclear energy and revulsion for the consequences of nuclear disasters, such as the Japanese Fukushima disaster which caused a drop off in Chinese tourism to Japan when reports emerged of treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima nuclear power plant being released into the Pacific Ocean.
But as China moves towards zero emissions by 2060 it is building 30 nuclear plants across the nation. According to Interesting Engineering, it has added the same capacity of nuclear power (more than 34 gigawatts) in the last 10 years as the United States managed over four decades.
Clean energy for a clean environment?
In the face of this nuclear acceleration, a drive is taking place to boost understanding of the contribution nuclear power could make to a reliable and “green” energy supply. Nine plants all over the country, from Guangxi in the south near Vietnam, to Fujian province and Wenzhou on the southeast coast, now feature on an online booking platform launched on Wednesday, 7 August, by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), the largest provider of atomic power in the People’s Republic. The company promotes itself on its website as the “Guardian of Secure Energy” and a supplier of “Clean Energy for a Clean Environment”.
The No. 4 unit of Fangchenggang #nuclear power station started power generation after completing a 168-hour trial operation on Saturday in S China's Guangxi. The plant's No. 3 and 4 units, both using China's Hualong One tech, can generate 18 billion kWh of electricity annually. pic.twitter.com/c2HCdFfNAH
— China Science (@ChinaScience) May 27, 2024
Visits to the nuclear stations are being touted as something that could be combined with other tourist attractions, such as the Fujian region’s white tea plantations, Guangxi’s famous rice terraces, the Jing people’s islands, or Asia’s largest cascades, the Detian Waterfall.
“Public science popularization”
Officials at Wednesday’s launch even made tall claims on behalf of the San’ao plant under construction at Wenzhou, where a reactor pressure vessel was delivered in early August, saying it has become a coastal Instagram attraction in itself, though a series of searches by this author found little worldwide footprint of the nuclear plant online.
As well as the online booking system, CGN has created a tourist information pamphlet with hand-drawn facility map, according to its WeChat pages.
“This is not only a public science popularization activity, but also an important exploration in the field of nuclear tourism,” company spokesperson Guo Xingang told press at the launch event. “This will not only help enhance the public’s understanding and trust in nuclear power, but also contribute to the high-quality development of my country’s nuclear power industry.”
