The selection of a site for a Sino-French nuclear waste processing plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province was suspended after it was met by protests from residents of the coastal city, China Daily reported.
Since Saturday, Aug. 6, thousands of people have been protesting against the proposed 100-billion yuan ($15 billion) plant.
On Wednesday, Aug. 10, the local government announced on its website that it would "suspend the site selection and preliminary work on the nuclear recycling project."
The deal for the project was signed by China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and Areva, a French nuclear fuel group, in 2012. The proposed plant will process spent fuel produced by nuclear power plants.
The plant construction will start in 2020 and is expected to be completed by 2030. But there was no definite site for its location.
Following media reports on July 26 that a deputy director of the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, together with CNNC executives, is inspecting Lianyungang to make it as a possible location for the plant, the protest of local residents began.
"The final site will be decided by the central government after being scientifically researched, released to the public and supported by the local government," Xue Weiming, general manager of the CNNC's Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Co, was quoted as saying.
Xue said that risks of radiation as a result of the nuclear reprocessing program are low as well as its effects on the environment.
But Chen Yong, a teacher at the city's Huaihai Institute of Technology, said that he is more concerned about the transportation of the nuclear waste that the reprocessing technology.
"Nobody can give assurances that the spent nuclear waste is 100 percent safe during transportation, as people are needed to lift it, unload it and drive it during the process," Chen said.
"People have a right to worry about their safety and demand that the dangerous material is not in their backyard," the teacher said. "The government should communicate with the public patiently and earn their trust on the program."
Earlier this week, the city government vowed to provide accurate information about the plant, adding that anyone who gives false information will be penalized.
Lianyungang has a population of 4.5 million. It is about 500 kilometers north of Shanghai.
Meanwhile, the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station, with two Russian-designed reactors, is located in the area and two more units are under construction.
Based on data from the World Nuclear Association, there are now 34 nuclear power plants operating in the Chinese mainland, with 20 under construction and more plants, being planned.
The Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Co, established in 2011, initiated work in the China-France nuclear recycling program. Since 2015, it has been inspecting 10 sites in coastal provinces, including Fujian, Shandong and Zhejiang.