The Government would organise shortly a visit to the construction site of the nuclear power plant in Taishan Prefecture, Guangdong Province, said today the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak.

The delegation would include Government representatives, members of the media and community representatives. It is one of a number of steps taken by the Government to allay any public concern regarding the safety of the Taishan nuclear facility.

Mr Wong made the comments this afternoon at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, during a briefing session organised for the media. The briefing covered the corporate development of the China General Nuclear Power Group and an update regarding the progress of the nuclear power plant facility being constructed in Taishan.

Protecting public health and safety is the Government’s priority. The Government pays great attention to the public’s interest in safety issues regarding certain nuclear energy generating facilities located near Macao. As a consequence of the attention to this issue, the Government has raised the matter with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and has invited mainland experts in nuclear energy to visit Macao in order to share their knowledge with the public on this topic.

Mr Wong said the Government was establishing a mechanism for regular communication with the Guangdong Government, in order to share with members of the public – in a timely manner – any information regarding nuclear safety.

The Government had also invited experts to suggest any revision – if it is required – to the city’s contingency plan for dealing with any nuclear incident that might occur.

The Secretary said the Government had additionally been keeping an eye on the need to optimise Macao’s emergency response measures to cope with any possible nuclear incident in neighbouring areas. Such measures had been developed since 1995. They had been updated in 2011, by which time more than 40 public agencies were involved in the process, covering a wide range of disciplines.

Mr Wong said that even if the most serious category of nuclear incident were to occur – within a 20-kilometre radius of Macao – no special protective measure, including that of evacuation, would be required. This was in accordance with guidelines established by the International Atomic Energy Agency, he added.

Were an incident categorised as serious to occur in a nuclear facility located within 100 kilometres of Macao, then authorities would have to implement special measures regarding imports of food and water from the affected area, he added.

Speaking during the briefing session, the General Manager of the Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co., Ltd., Mr Guo Limin, said the company had prepared its own set of detailed emergency plans even though the nuclear power plant in Taishan met international standards in terms of its facilities. Macao is 67 kilometres away from Taishan, which meant no evacuation measures would be necessary even if an incident categorised as of the most serious type were to occur.

Another representative of the company, Mr Wang Xiaofei, said the China General Nuclear Power Group – the entity responsible for the Taishan nuclear project – had a comprehensive system to manage the use of nuclear power. In addition, the project was closely monitored by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

Prior to the media briefing session, the Government held a briefing in the morning for Government officials, in order to give more information about the country’s nuclear energy policy; the development of nuclear energy in Guangdong Province; and an update of progress on the construction of the nuclear power plant facility in Taishan.

Representatives from the Ministry of Environmental Protection; the National Energy Commission; the Emergency Management Office of the China Atomic Energy Authority; and the China General Nuclear Power Group shared more information on a range of topics. They covered: the advanced nuclear technology employed at the Taishan plant; the strict safety standards in place; regulation regarding management of the facility; and the detailed plans prepared in the event of any emergency.

The morning briefing session was attended by the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On; Macao’s delegates to the 12th National People’s Congress; Macao’s delegates to the 12th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; and by Government officials.