How would social acceptance affect nuclear power development? A study from China

Abstract Social acceptance of energy technologies has drawn an increasingly level of public attentions in last decades. The high level of social acceptance within local communities makes an energy project more likely to be successful. China has decided to develop the nuclear power actively on the basis of safety though some developed countries decided to shut down the existing nuclear power plants or to abandon plans to build new nuclear power plant following the Fukushima nuclear accident. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate social acceptance issues of nuclear power from local residents' perspective in Shandong Province, China. The results show that there is low level of public awareness of nuclear power. However, the local acceptance level is high due to common concerns on environmental issues as well as soaring electricity prices. This research also highlights most significant risks and benefits associated with nuclear power developments that are perceived by local residents. These findings provide useful inputs to policy making process and nuclear power developers to enhance the level of social acceptance in future developments, as well as to achieve low fossil-carbon transformation in China.