China looks for new radioactive waste disposal sites

China will expand its three disposal sites for low- and medium-level radioactive waste and has been looking for new sites to address the country's inadequate disposal capacity for such waste, a National Nuclear Safety Administration official said.

By the end of last year, a total of 16,000 cubic meters of low- and medium-level radioactive waste had been generated in the country's nuclear power stations, Jiang Guang, head of radioactive source management at the administration, said on Wednesday.

With a combined disposal capacity of 76,000 cu m, the three disposal sites have received and disposed of 45,000 cu m of such waste, he added.

By the numbers, China still has unused disposal capacity, but Jiang cautioned that "generally speaking ... the capacity is stressed and deficient".

In addition to the waste from nuclear power stations, there is still a large amount of waste left over from historical stockpiles and decommissioned nuclear facilities, he explained.

Work has begun on selecting new sites, with the authorities preparing "to select locations and build new sites in provinces with relatively concentrated nuclear power development", he said.

Jiang noted, however, that the work is confronted with challenges from the "not in my backyard" mindset and public fears about radiation.

The administration will ramp up publicity to allow the public to learn more about nuclear disposal sites, he said, and will also publicize environmental monitoring data near the three current sites in a timely manner to enhance transparency.

With regard to high-level radioactive waste disposal, a site in Gansu province has been chosen and the State Council, China's cabinet, approved a proposed underground laboratory project at the site last year, he said.

"Management and technical teams have been set up," Jiang said. "Currently, the work is being rolled out proactively."

Underground experiments will be carried out at the site from this year to 2040 before construction begins.