China considers expanding nuclear plants inland  

Beijing (ECNS) – China is considering developing inland nuclear power plants with the same safety standards applied to existing ones by the sea, Liu Hua, chief engineer of China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, said on Thursday.

China has 13 nuclear power plants, with 20 operational units and 28 under construction, according to Liu. The majority are built near the sea, while more than half of nuclear plants globally are located in inland areas.

China is pushing to expand its nuclear power industry while safeguarding nuclear security. In March, President Xi Jinping attended the third Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands and stressed China's efforts to this end.

Liu said safety would be at the top of the agenda, and that measures will be taken to make sure individuals and institutions follow safety protocols.

Denis Flory, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Asian countries including China and Japan are persistently improving nuclear security.