Public support for China's nuclear-energy programme plummeted after Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011. So far, however, there have been no reported protests against a proposed nuclear power plant in Zhangzhou in southeast China. Other nations could learn from the strategy used by the authorities to make this project acceptable to the public.
After announcing the proposal in October last year, China's National Nuclear Corporation and the regional government engaged with local communities to communicate the planning issues and improve transparency. They also offered support for potential job seekers and for local enterprises. These efforts were spurred by the suspension two months earlier of a proposed nuclear plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, in response to public outcry.
Support for the Zhangzhou project has been boosted by the prospect of better infrastructure and more employment, and because no resettlements are necessary. Residents were invited to visit the Daya Bay nuclear plant to allay their fears. Although Zhangzhou is in a coastal seismic fault zone, engineering can help to safeguard the plant against earthquakes. The risk of tsunami damage is reduced because the site will be 13.5 metres above sea level.
In our view, the project should nevertheless be subject to more-stringent construction permits and stricter safety measures than nuclear plants on sites that are less potentially hazardous.
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Yang, H., Xia, J. & Flower, R. Locals embrace China nuclear project. Nature 542, 414 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/542414c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/542414c
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