China: The Next Few Years are Crucial for Nuclear Industry Growth

After worldwide calls to action in the wake of the tsunami that devastated Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011, nuclear power plants have been shoring up their defenses for more than a year. Much has already been accomplished; many projects are only months away from realization. The end of 2013 marks the deadline for many countries’ medium-term actions. These are more significant accomplishments than the short-term actions, and have required more attention than the long-term actions still to come. For this reason, we say that the post-Fukushima process has reached the half-way point. One of the next big milestones will occur in spring next year, when another Convention on Nuclear Safety conference is scheduled by the IAEA. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has also been involved in the post-Fukushima response, and has organized a number of events/workshops. It plans a one-day seminar in June on defence and is currently drafting a report on its post-Fukushima work and the work of member countries for publication in 2013. This article provides a country-by-country report which aims to give an overview of actions taken in most countries operating nuclear power plants.