China Punches Pause Button for Nuclear Power

Five days after the deadly quake March 11 in Japan, an executive meeting of the State Council chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao ended with an order for a full review of all nuclear power plants currently under construction. Moreover, the council declared, any reviewed project found lax in safety standards would be halted.

The State Council also ordered adjustments to the government's 2007 Medium and Long-term Plan for Nuclear Development, and said approval permits for new projects, including those at a preliminary start-up stage, would be suspended pending a development plan update.

Yet despite government review orders, most industry experts say China is unlikely to change its pro-nuclear direction. The disaster in Japan will have a tremendous impact on domestic nuclear power, but the industry will survive.

More than 77 nuclear power generating units were either planned or under construction in China at the end of 2010, according to the World Nuclear Association. In addition, various local governments around the country have said they intend to build as many as 140 additional units.

Thirteen nuclear power units at six sites are now operating in China. Construction