News Collected by Syeda Laiba Nadeem
With the Russia-Ukraine war indicating that nuclear power plants are far from off-limits, China’s PLA has warned that reactors close to the coast could come under attack in the event of a conflict. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has voiced concern about the safety of the country’s growing nuclear power plant industry in the event of a future conflict. The country has 102 commercial nuclear reactors that are either fully operational or currently under construction. That makes China’s atomic energy sector the largest in the world. In April, the Chinese government approved the establishment of 10 new reactors along the coast. Some of these are to come up in geopolitically sensitive areas like the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.
China is also home to what has been touted as the world’s largest reactor, the 12.5 billion kWh Qinshan Phase III nuclear plant, which became functional in March of this year. The country is rapidly scaling its nuclear energy capacity as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on non-renewable sources and meet climate goals. However, according to a new PLA study, some sites, especially coastal ones, could become strategic liabilities in wartime. The PLA study also noted that adversaries seeking to cause mass casualties, disruption of China’s energy supply, and of course deliberate environmental damage could target such locations in a future conflict. China’s NPP at risk in times of conflict.
These fears are primarily inspired by the events of the Russia-Ukraine war, which shattered assumptions that nuclear plants are ‘off-limits’ in warfare. For example, as previously reported, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant has been attacked multiple times. There have also been drone strikes on the crippled Chernobyl nuclear power plant located 65 miles north of Kiev, Ukraine. Thankfully, repairs on damage to the protective shell are underway and proceeding well, according to a recent statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).These incidents have alarmed Chinese strategists, who now treat attacks as plausible rather than theoretical. International norms (like the Geneva Conventions) prohibit such attacks, but the reality of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has proved otherwise.
The PLA study includes potential scenarios where an attack on nuclear power plants could occur.These include, but are not limited to, strategic bombing raids, precision missile strikes, and even nuclear missile attacks. According to the PLA, such attacks would severely damage or destroy key plant components and likely cause radiation leaks. It could contaminate land, sea, air, and food supplies.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Depending on the severity, any damage to nuclear reactors would result in major civilian casualties and long-term ecological harm. To this end, the PLA has urged the creation of a risk assessment model to influence where new reactors are built. The PLA also offered suggestions for dramatically improving physical security and preparing emergency plans should the worst occur. Such a framework is meant to evolve alongside global strategic shifts.
This warning coincides with a joint China-Russia statement expressing concern about the rising threat of nuclear conflict due to tensions between major powers (especially the U.S., NATO, etc.). It reflects a broader strategic anxiety in both countries about how quickly taboos around nuclear infrastructure might collapse under pressure. China is realizing that its rapid nuclear energy expansion, while economically beneficial, is also a military vulnerability, especially given the geopolitical instability and breakdown of wartime norms in recent conflicts.
SOURCE: Interesting Engineering
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