China's largest n-power firm holds open house

China's largest nuclear power company Wednesday said it will hold an open house event Aug 7 every year as part of efforts to make its operations more transparent.

The China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), operator of the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, said the event will help boost public trust in the safety of nuclear power, Xinhua reported.

CGN spokesman Hu Guangyao said the company can provide timely responses to safety concerns through increased communication with the public.

The 2011 leakage of radioactive material from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has raised concerns about nuclear safety in China.

A planned CGN nuclear fuel processing project in Heshan city in Guangdong was cancelled in July due to opposition from local residents.

The city mayor said the local government respects the public's opinion and will not apply for approval of the project.

CGN supplies 53 percent of China's nuclear power and its Daya Bay plant is currently the country's largest nuclear plant.

"CGN has realised that ensuring production safety depends not only on technology, but also transparent operation and public supervision," Hu said.

A group of students from the Nanjing Institute of Technology became the first group of visitors to attend the open house.

Zhou Liang and Zhang Yuan, both undergraduates at the school, surveyed radiation levels at the plant and collected data from the plant's adjoining areas and the urban area of Shenzhen.

They said the data matched that what was given in the company's safety report.

China's state council announced the establishment of the CGN company in 1994, when its first nuclear power unit at the Daya Bay plant went into production.

Boasting uranium reserves totalling 338,000 tonnes, the company has developed its overseas business in Namibia and Kazakhstan and is bidding on a nuclear power project in Turkey.