Marine ecological restoration strategies of coastal nuclear power plants in China

Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen 361005, China

Abstract

Low-carbon and green development model is the choice for responding to climate change. Under the dilemma between ever-growing energy demand and the associated environmental issues, nuclear power is one of the low-carbon and high-efficient energy options which compared to wind power and solar power. It is the only stable power source that can replace fossil energy on a large scale at present and even in the future. This paper briefly describes the operational risks of coastal nuclear power plants (CNPPs) and the upgrade process of nuclear reactors, systematically analyzes and summarizes the ecological environment problems, risk problems and ecological restoration and protection strategies in the construction and operation of CNPPs, including coastal wetland ecological environment, marine ecological environment, and the risk prevention measures for cooling water source. The results show that ecosystem restoration by human does not make up for the weakening of the ecological carrying capacity and ecosystem away from its baseline, nonetheless, the restoration of important wetland habitats is conducive to the improvement of the functions of key marine ecosystems and the maintenance of marine biodiversity.