CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 602
OF 100853Z APRIL 89
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
HONG KONG TELNO 1113.
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CONFIDENTIAL
HKC 166/1
134454 MDLIAN 1459
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
il
DAYA BAY.
1 THE CHINA DAILY OF 10 APRIL CARRIES A REPORT ON PAGE TWO UNDER THE TITLE ''NO PLANS FOR NUCLEAR PLANT EXPANSION TILL 2000'
THE PIECE REPORTS THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY AS HAVING CLAIMED THAT
CHINA WOULD NOT BUILD ANOTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AT DAYA BAY BEFORE THE YEAR 2000 OR ENLARGE THE ONE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THAT PERIOD. MINISTRY SPOKESMAN WANG WENZE IS REPORTED TO HAVE TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON 8 APRIL THAT, CONTRARY TO HONG KONG NEWSPAPER REPORTS, ''THE GOVERNMENT WAS NOT, AT PRESENT, CONSIDERING THE MATTER'' WANG IS REPORTED TO HAVE ADDED THAT THE BUILDING OF A SECOND NUCLEAR PLANT OR EXPANSION OF THE FIRST ONE WERE ''MERELY THE PERSONAL IDEAS OF SOME EXPERTS'' AND THAT THE MINISTRY HAD NOT (NOT) RECEIVED AN
APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF SUCH PLANS FROM GUANGDONG PROVINCE NOR
HAD THEY BEEN DISCUSSED AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL. THE PROVINCE WOULD
FIRST HAVE TO SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE MINISTRY, THE STATE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE STATE COUNCIL BEFORE IT COULD EVEN
BEGIN A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON PLANT CONSTRUCTION OR EXPANSION.
THE ENERGY RESOURCES INDUSTRY WAS A KEY TO CHINA'S ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT WITH ENERGY SUPPLY SHORTAGES A MAJOR FACTOR HINDERING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY IN COASTAL PROVINCES WHICH WERE SHORT OF COAL. IT WAS THEREFORE ''NORMAL FOR THESE PROVINCES TO
BE ACTIVELY RESEARCHING AND DISCUSSING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY''. FOR EXAMPLE, GUANGDONG AND YUNNAN WERE NEGOTIATING CONSTRUCTION OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN YUNNAN, MOST OF THE ENERGY SUPPLIED BY WHICH WOULD GO TO GUANGDONG. THE CONSTRUCTION
OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WAS A VERY SENSITIVE MATTER AND NEEDED CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF NATURAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS GEOLOGY, CLIMATE, HYDROLOGY, TRANSPORTATION, THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE. THE ARTICLE CONCLUDES BY NOTING THAT IT USUALLY TAKES THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND A FURTHER
FIVE YEARS TO CONSTRUCT A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND NOTES THAT THE
PRESENT DAYA BAY PLANT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 1993.
COMMENT.
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CONFIDENTIAL