Money isn't enough

Back in China, Bao, a former head of the Experts Group in the State Council's National Nuclear Energy Leading Group, said a similar danger lurks.

Damage from the explosion and fire at Chernobyl nuclear plant in April 1986 is clearly visible two or three days later. [Photo/Agencies]

Some local governments are keen on encouraging companies to invest in the industry while ignoring safety requirements. These authorities do so in the hope that the projects could boost economic growth, Bao said.

"A common misunderstanding among them is that once companies have enough money, they're qualified to build nuclear reactors, just like what they did with the coal-fired power projects in the past," he said.

"This is a very dangerous thought. It may threaten the safety of our future nuclear power projects."

Bao's findings were supported by the State Council, China's cabinet, in a report its research office published in January after a five-month probe into the industry. The pace of the nuclear power industry is so fast that it will endanger its long-term development, the report said.

"Medium- and long-term goals should be realistic and the scale of recent projects must be particularly controlled," it said.

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