The Hong Kong-listed operator of the controversial Taishan nuclear plant has been urged to disclose any safety risks relating to the project, after it was disclosed recently that the company has not been forthcoming over the origin of some operational components.
Safety concerns were raised last month after components of the nuclear plant being constructed less than 80 kilometers west of Macau were discovered to have been constructed in mainland China, and not in France as previously thought.
According to an atomic energy scientist, the component is delicate and “every step in the manufacturing process requires strict control.”
The call for transparency comes from Hong Kong’s public policy think tank, The Professional Commons, which wants Hong Kong-listed CGN Power to explain whether it will follow up on potential flaws flagged by France’s Nuclear Safety Authority last year. The Taishan nuclear plant uses the same type of reactor as in France.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Professional Commons member and accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung said that Hong Kong laws stipulate that listed companies must make public any information that could affect stock prices.
“Citizens need to know what’s happening,” added Leung in conversation with SCMP. “The Taishan reactors are funded by a Hong Kong-listed company that raised capital in Hong Kong, so we need to express our concerns.”
Meanwhile, Gao Ligang, CEO at CGN Power, which holds a majority stake in the project, has previously said that the reactors at Taishan meet all international technology and safety standards. DB
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