TNAG-1498-FCO40-2056-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 144

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PUBLIC OPINION AND NUCLEAR SAFETY: NOTE OF A DISCUSSION WITH/THE

CHINESE GOVERNOR OF THE IAEA

1.

At the Chinese initiative, Mr Morphet and I had an informal talk with Mr Zhou Ping, the Chinese Governor of the IAEA, Mr Cao Guisheng the Chinese permanent representative to the IAEA, and three members of their staff. In the margins of the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna of 10/July,

Impact on Public Opinion

2. Mr Zhou

June?

opened discussion by inquiring about the effect of Chernobyl on public opinion in the UK, especially as far as the UK nuclear programme was concerned. There had been "some shock to Chinese public opinica", especially around Daya Bay, where the Chinese have a nuclear power station under construction as a joint venture with Hong Kong. The reaction had been particularly strong from Hong Kong, where it was clear that public opinion was stirred on account of the closeness of the station.

The

3. Mr Zhou welcomed the way in which Hong Kong authorities had sought to explain the design differences between Daya Bay and Chernobyl. Both the Chinese government and the Hong Kong authorities were jointly reassessing the safety of Daya Bay. Chinese nuclear plans would be carried out firmly and their whole nuclear programme which is not very large (two stations now under construction at Daya Bay and near Shanghi) would be carried through. Mr Hu Yau Bang would make the Chinese position plain when he saw Mrs Thatcher.

4. In reply, Mr Morphet, welcomed the opportunity to discuss these questions. Both governments had to recognise reality. The effect of Chernobyl on public opinion would continue for some time despite general acceptance that the Chernobyl reactor was a very different concept UK reactor types and despite a certain confidence in the safety of UK nuclear power generation, people were bound to wonder whether a similar accident might happen in the UK. Already there had been a significant reduction in the proportion of people in favour of developing nuclear power, although the reduction was perhaps less than might have been expected.

Much

5. Mr Morphet emphasized the steps taken to give the UK public confidence in nuclear safety. Successive Ministers had always emphasized that safety had to be the paramount consideration. there is an independent, and thorough, nuclear inspectorate. of the two years of the Sizewell inquiry had been devoted to discussing safety issues. Following the Three Mile Island accident, the UK had publish, and made publicly available, detailed emergency plans for the areas for nuclear installations; these plans were exercised regularly. He believed that the public now accepted that the Government was genuinely concerned to ensure the safety of nuclear plants.