Nuclear project suspended in eastern China after protests

Authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Lianyungang Wednesday suspended a FrenchChinese nuclear waste recycle plant project, following several days of protests led by thousands of inhabitants of the area.

The local government announced on Weibo (Chinese equivalent of Twitter) its decision to suspend the project that was aiming to process 800 tonnes of waste annually and which was expected to start functioning in 2020.

Policemen in riot gear tried to suppress the protest Sunday and allegedly some protesters were injured in the process, reported Chinese daily The Paper Wednesday.

The waste management plant, which will now have to look for a new site, will be built by China National Nuclear Corporation with technology from France’s Areva, following an agreement signed by both parties in 2012 during French President Francois Hollande’s visit to China.

The project is part of China’s plans of becoming a nuclear power, with 35 operating reactors, and 20 more under construction currently, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In recent years several mass protests have been held in Chinese cities against industrial projects over fears of rising pollution and greater environmental risks, demonstrating a heightened national awareness of ecological degradation suffered by the country in recent decades.