China approves plan for nuclear power safety

BEIJING -- China's cabinet, the State Council, has approved a plan for nuclear power safety and radioactive pollution control.

By the end of 2020, China aims to have 58 million kilowatts of nuclear power capacity in operation and more than 30 million kilowatts under construction.

China currently operates 36 nuclear reactors, and is building 20 new ones, world's largest number of reactors under construction, according to an official with the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The safety of the country's nuclear facilities should be markedly enhanced by 2020, with lower occurrence rate of radiation accidents and better capabilities in emergency response and safety supervision, according to the plan.

By 2025, China should have modernized its supervision system and capacity on nuclear safety and radioactive pollution control, the plan said.

The plan also pledged to improve China's radioactive waste disposal capacity to match the development of its nuclear industry.