China says nuclear fuel rods damaged, no radiation leak

The Chinese government says a nuclear power plant near Hong Kong had five broken fuel rods in a reactor but no radioactivity leaked

BEIJING -- A Chinese nuclear power plant near Hong Kong had five broken fuel rods in a reactor but no radioactivity leaked, the government said Wednesday in its first confirmation of the incident that prompted concern over the facility’s safety. Radiation rose inside the No. 1 reactor of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province but was contained by barriers that functioned as planned, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on its social media account. The Hong Kong government said it was watching the plant and asking officials in Guangdong for details after its French co-owner on Monday reported increased “noble gases” in the reactor. Experts said that suggested fuel rods broke and leaked radioactive gas produced during nuclear fission. Noble gases such as xenon and krypton are byproducts of fission along with particles of cesium, strontium and other radioactive elements.