The city of Lianyungang in east China has suspended preliminary work on a nuclear waste processing plant following days of protests, it said on Wednesday.
The 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) project, to be run by the state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) in collaboration with France's Areva, was scheduled to start construction in 2020 and be completed by 2030, but reports that Lianyungang would be chosen as the site sparked protests starting last weekend among residents concerned about the health risks of nuclear waste.
"The Lianyungang Municipal People's Government has decided to suspend site selection and preliminary work on the nuclear recycling project," it said in a notice posted on its website. It did not give further details.
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