this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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How China became the king of new nuclear power, and how the U.S. is trying to stage a comeback (www.cnbc.com)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by lntl@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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China has 21 nuclear reactors under construction which will have a capacity for generating more than 21 gigawatts of electricity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is two and a half times more nuclear reactors under construction than any other country.

I love that China is not planning to power all future demand with more coal and gas.

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[–] fubo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Do you have reason to believe China is not taking safety seriously in there nuclear energy program?

If the China government were doing the wrong thing, would Chinese scientists and engineers be safe to say so, or would they be subject to imprisonment and torture for disagreeing with their political superiors?

Without freedom of political speech there is no freedom to tell the truth on matters of political controversy. This includes environmental and safety issues.

[–] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It goes the other way too. The Chinese government harshly punishes those who take dangerous shortcuts that undermine public safety and trust. The 2008 baby formula scandal comes to mind, which led to the execution of two executives for their crimes.

Anyway, nuclear power has proven to be very safe under all types of government. To say that it would somehow be less safe in China is maybe just a little bit sinophobic.

[–] zephyreks@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

White man wonders if yellow man can do things white man can. News at 11.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

That's kind of true, but the Chinese government is probably competent enough to not mess with nuclear safety.

[–] zephyreks@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yes? Unlike in the US, whether to care about safety or health aren't political issues.

Also, the punishment for severely fucking up isn't a small fine or imprisonment, it's execution. If Fukushima happened in China, heads would literally roll. That's a pretty strong incentive to not fuck up from the plant manager/architect/designer standpoint.