No leak at Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, Wong says

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant

Many Chinese news agencies have lately reported that the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, located in Shenzhen, Guangdong, has experienced a leak.

The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, commented on this news last Sunday, saying that he had contacted the department of the Chinese central government which is responsible for regulations over nuclear safety issues. However, in his understanding, no leak had occurred.

When asked about whether the mainland had been late in clarifying the incident this time, Wong said “I can’t comment [on that], because, at the moment, I am not aware of the situation,” according to a report by All About Macau.

Wong claims that, since there was no leak, the mainland is not obliged to declare the non-occurrence to Macau. He hopes that, in the future, when similar news is available, the related department could give timely clarification with regard to what may or may not have happened.

Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Co. Ltd (HKNIC), one of the investors of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, issued a clarification on December 10, stating that no leak had occurred at the plant.

According to an announcement published by the Government Information Bureau, the local government is working closely with relevant ministries and departments of the central government in order to establish a Guangdong-Macau nuclear safety reporting mechanism.

Wong also said that four separate bodies linked to the central government had already given their approval for the establishment of such a reporting mechanism. Currently, the Guangdong Government is going through the necessary procedures in order to set up the mechanism.

The government pays great attention to the public’s interest in safety issues regarding the nuclear facility in Taishan Prefecture, Guangdong Province. Macau is 67 kilometres away from Taishan. According to the authorities in Macau and mainland China, this distance means that no evacuation measures would be necessary even if an incident of the most serious type were to occur.