A&nbsp;reactor&nbsp;at a&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;plant in southern&nbsp;China&nbsp;has been shut down because it is damaged, the operator said Friday, but it insisted there were no major safety issues.

Chinese authorities last month blamed minor fuel rod damage for a build-up of radioactive gases at the Taishan plant in Guangdong province, describing it as a "common phenomenon" with no need for concern.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/potential-leak-in-china-nuclear-plant-facing-performance-issue-report-391432">Potential leak in China nuclear plant facing 'performance issue': Report</a>

French&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;firm Framatome, which helps operate the plant, last month reported a "performance issue" which caused the US government to look into the possibility of a leak.

"After lengthy conversations between French and Chinese technical personnel, Taishan&nbsp;Nuclear&nbsp;Power Plant... decided to shut down Unit 1 for maintenance,"&nbsp;China&nbsp;General&nbsp;Nuclear&nbsp;Power Group (CGN) said Friday in an online statement.&nbsp;

The company added that "a small amount of fuel damage" had occurred.

CGN said both reactors at the plant have "maintained safe and stable operations throughout" and that the faulty unit is "completely under control".

Engineers will now "find the cause of fuel damage and replace the damaged fuel", the statement added.

There are more than 60,000 fuel rods in the&nbsp;reactor&nbsp;and the proportion of damaged rods is "less than 0.01 percent",&nbsp;China's environment ministry and&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;regulator previously said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-environment-ministry-says-no-leak-at-taishan-nuclear-power-station-391794">China environment ministry says no leak at Taishan nuclear power station</a>

They called the damage "inevitable" due to factors including fuel manufacturing and transportation.

French energy giant EDF, the majority owner of Framatome -- also previously blamed the build-up of radioactive gases on deteriorating coating on some uranium fuel rods.

EDF said it was first informed about the fuel rod problem in October, but only learned about the gas build-up in mid-June.

Official environmental monitoring data shows a slight increase in radiation near Taishan compared with other&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;plants in&nbsp;China, but experts say this remains within the normal range of environmental radiation levels in Guangdong.

'Permanently monitored'&nbsp;

The shutdown follows the French firm stating last week that it would have shut down a&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;reactor&nbsp;in France if it suffered problems similar to those reported at the Taishan plant.

"Based on analyses, EDF operating procedures for its French plant would have led it to shut down the&nbsp;reactor&nbsp;to fully understand the problem and halt its development," the company said in a statement.

However, they noted that the situation was "not urgent".&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-what-happened-at-chinas-taishan-nuclear-power-plant-392266/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The radioactivity levels in the water of the&nbsp;reactor's primary circuit "remain below regulator levels in place for Taishan, which are in line with international standards", they said.

But based on earlier data provided by Chinese officials, the deterioration of the structural integrity of some fuel rods "appears to be continuing, and is being permanently monitored", the firm added.

The problem is the latest blow to the European Pressurised&nbsp;Reactor&nbsp;(EPR) design, which is being used to build power plants in France, Britain and Finland that have racked up delays and billions of euros in cost overruns.

A reactor at a nuclear plant in southern China has been shut down because it is damaged, the operator said Friday, but it insisted there were no major safety issues.

A reactor at a nuclear plant in southern China has been shut down because it is damaged, the operator said Friday, but it insisted there were no major safety issues. Chinese authorities last month blamed minor fuel rod damage for a build-up of radioactive gases at the Taishan plant in Guangdong province, describing it as a "common phenomenon" with no need for concern. Also read | Potential leak in China nuclear plant facing 'performance issue': Report French nuclear firm Framatome, which helps operate the plant, last month reported a "performance issue" which caused the US government to look into the possibility of a leak. "After lengthy conversations between French and Chinese technical personnel, Taishan Nuclear Power Plant... decided to shut down Unit 1 for maintenance," China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) said Friday in an online statement. The company added that "a small amount of fuel damage" had occurred. CGN said both reactors at the plant have "maintained safe and stable operations throughout" and that the faulty unit is "completely under control". Engineers will now "find the cause of fuel damage and replace the damaged fuel", the statement added. There are more than 60,000 fuel rods in the reactor and the proportion of damaged rods is "less than 0.01 percent", China's environment ministry and nuclear regulator previously said. Also read | China environment ministry says no leak at Taishan nuclear power station They called the damage "inevitable" due to factors including fuel manufacturing and transportation. French energy giant EDF, the majority owner of Framatome -- also previously blamed the build-up of radioactive gases on deteriorating coating on some uranium fuel rods. EDF said it was first informed about the fuel rod problem in October, but only learned about the gas build-up in mid-June. Official environmental monitoring data shows a slight increase in radiation near Taishan compared with other nuclear plants in China, but experts say this remains within the normal range of environmental radiation levels in Guangdong. 'Permanently monitored' The shutdown follows the French firm stating last week that it would have shut down a nuclear reactor in France if it suffered problems similar to those reported at the Taishan plant. "Based on analyses, EDF operating procedures for its French plant would have led it to shut down the reactor to fully understand the problem and halt its development," the company said in a statement. However, they noted that the situation was "not urgent". The radioactivity levels in the water of the reactor's primary circuit "remain below regulator levels in place for Taishan, which are in line with international standards", they said. But based on earlier data provided by Chinese officials, the deterioration of the structural integrity of some fuel rods "appears to be continuing, and is being permanently monitored", the firm added. The problem is the latest blow to the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design, which is being used to build power plants in France, Britain and Finland that have racked up delays and billions of euros in cost overruns.

China nuclear reactor shut down for maintenance after damage

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport are likely to be affected for two days as the the private aerodrome operator today announced the closure of the main runway for six hours daily for pre-monsoon maintenance work.

The closure of the main runway, 09/27, is expected to put passengers at inconvenience in view of the suspension of a good number of services by various airlines during the period, sources said.

The Mumbai airport is the primary base of Jet Airways and a bulk of its operations, both domestic and international, are carried out from here.

"The main runway of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) handled by GVK MIAL, will be non-operational on April 9 and 10, between 1100 hrs and 1700 hrs on account of pre-monsoon maintenance activities," the Mumbai International

Airport Limited (MIAL) said in a statement, issued about an hour before the commencement of the runway closure.

Passengers are requested to connect with their respective airlines, said MIAL, the private airport operator.

The Mumbai airport, which is the second busiest in the country, has two crossing runways -- 09/27 (the main) and 14/32 (the secondary runway).

While the primary runway can handle up to 48 arrivals and departures per hour, the secondary runway has a capacity of 35 movements per hour.

On an average, there are 970 flight arrivals and departures at the Mumbai airport every day.&nbsp

The runway will be shutting down for pre-monsoon maintenance work

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport are likely to be affected for two days as the the private aerodrome operator today announced the closure of the main runway for six hours daily for pre-monsoon maintenance work. The closure of the main runway, 09/27, is expected to put passengers at inconvenience in view of the suspension of a good number of services by various airlines during the period, sources said. The Mumbai airport is the primary base of Jet Airways and a bulk of its operations, both domestic and international, are carried out from here. "The main runway of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) handled by GVK MIAL, will be non-operational on April 9 and 10, between 1100 hrs and 1700 hrs on account of pre-monsoon maintenance activities," the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said in a statement, issued about an hour before the commencement of the runway closure. Passengers are requested to connect with their respective airlines, said MIAL, the private airport operator. The Mumbai airport, which is the second busiest in the country, has two crossing runways -- 09/27 (the main) and 14/32 (the secondary runway). While the primary runway can handle up to 48 arrivals and departures per hour, the secondary runway has a capacity of 35 movements per hour. On an average, there are 970 flight arrivals and departures at the Mumbai airport every day.

Main runway of Mumbai airport to shut down for 6 hours for 2 days

maintenance-work

Maintenance Work, News on Maintenance Work, stories on Maintenance Work, articles on Maintenance Work, Maintenance Work stories at Wion, Maintenance Work news, Maintenance Work latest news