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A Chinese nuclear power plant has shut down one of its reactors for maintenance after minor fuel rod damage.
The plant operator said in a statement that he had shut down Unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province after “long” talks with technicians.
Taishan is the first site in the world to have this type of reactor.
The type of reactor – known as EPR – is expected to be built in other countries as well, including Finland, France and Hinkley Point C in the UK.
The latest move comes a month after the Chinese government admitted damage to fuel rods at the Taishan unit, but said it was a “common” problem, without any concern.
The China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) said in a statement Friday that the reactor was “completely under control”.
Engineers would find the cause of the damage and replace the fuel rods, the statement said.
In June, CNN reported that the US government was assessing a reported leak at the site.
CNN said that French energy company EDF, which helps manage the site, has warned the US government that China’s nuclear regulator has increased limits on radiation levels allowed outside the plant to avoid shutting it down.
EDF later said that a problem with the fuel rods led to the build-up of gases, which were to be released into the atmosphere.
Fuel rods are sealed metal tubes that contain nuclear material used to power the nuclear reactor.
Last week, an EDF spokesperson told CNN the French company would shut down the plant if it could.
They said the decision was up to the Chinese operator.
The situation in Taishan was “not an emergency” but nonetheless a “serious situation”, added the spokesperson.
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