TNAG-1502-FCO40-2060-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 102

AUG 18 '86 15:06 TIBCOOU) HK GOVT

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Tin Tin Daily News columnist Yik Chun supported a suggestion that the Daya Bay site be used for the construction of a power plant using natural gas as fuel. This could end the controversy while the site as well as British turbines could still be used. The French nuclear technology could be used in other Chinese cities.

Wednesday, August 6: The electronic and print media continued to give good coverage to activities of the Legco delegates in France and Washington yesterday.

More prominently reported was the visit to the Bugey nuclear power station at Lyons by the Legco delegation led by Umelco member Maria

Тап.

Miss Tam told reporters afterwards that they had visited the nuclear training centre and had been briefed on the training programmes for staff of the Daya Bay plant and the contingency measures for accidents.

She said that there were few objections when the Bugey plant was first mooted in 1965 because the people there felt that the nuclear power station would bring them prosperity and jobs, Wen Wei Po and the South China Morning Post reported.

Wen Wei Po also quoted one of the delegates, Poon Chung-kwong, as saying that he felt that the training programmes adopted at the nuclear training centre were carefully, drawn up.

The Post, the HK Daily News, Sing Pao and Ming Pao noted prominently that the near catastrophe at the Bugey plant last year was noticeable by its absence in discussions at yesterday's meeting between the visiting Legco delegates and local district representatives.

The Post said Miss Tam told a press conference after the meeting that she had not heard about the accident and that it was not mentioned in the discussions.

In headlines, the Daily News said that it was surprising that the Umelco delegation should have failed to study the major accident at the Bugey nuclear plant.

According to the papers, the accident occurred in April, 1984 when the plant's external electricity supply failed, a backup battery also malfunctioned and a diesel generator only started up 45 minutes later. The French authorities had at one stage tried to cover up the accident, but it was eventually discovered and reported by the press.