China must learn lessons from Japan’s nuclear power crisis and ensure its own nuclear power sector develops safely, a top Chinese energy official said, as the country rushes to add new reactors to cut reliance on carbon-intensive coal.

Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, was rocked by an explosion on Saturday after Friday’s massive earthquake forced reactors to shut down.

A new explosion hit the plant on Monday, sending a plume of smoke into the air and Japan’s nuclear safety agency said it could not confirm whether or not the explosion had led to an uncontrolled leak of radioactivity.

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC), the country’s two nuclear power plant operators, have said all their plants were not affected by the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami.