15 Jun (NucNet): A task group has been set up to investigate after a small leak from a fuel rod caused an increase in radioactivity in the primary cooling water circuit of unit 2 at the Guangdong nuclear plant in China’s southern Guangdong province.
The Hong Kong government said today the incident, which happened on 23 May 2010, had no impact on the public or the operation of the facility.
Hong Kong’s security bureau said preliminary assessment had indicated a “very small leak” that could have been caused by an imperfect seal on a fuel rod. The task group is investigating and monitoring the situation, the bureau said.
The incident did not fall within the range of the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), the statement added. The security bureau said it will liaise with CLP, Hong Kong’s biggest electricity provider and joint operator of the plant, for further information.
“These radionuclides had been completely quarantined and therefore had no impact on the public. The situation did not fall within the International Nuclear Event Scale,” the bureau said, quoting CLP.
The Hong Kong Observatory has a network of 10 radiation monitoring stations and measurements have not shown any abnormality in radiation levels since 23 May 2010.
CLP said the incident was immediately reported to the inspectors on site and to the National Nuclear Safety Administration.
The Guangdong nuclear plant, also known as Daya Bay, has two 944-megawatt pressurised water reactors.
According to CLP’s website the plant produces around 14 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, of which 70 percent is imported by CLP to its Hong Kong system.
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