China's top legislature is studying a possible new law aimed at ensuring the safety of the nuclear industry, a senior lawmaker has said.

The move comes at a time when nuclear energy is increasingly being seen as an environmentally friendly option, but one that needs safeguards because of the risk should anything go wrong.

Yuan Si, deputy director of the environmental protection and resources conservation committee of the National People's Congress, said at a recent media briefing that nuclear energy not only offers a greener source of power but also allows better use to be made of other sources of energy.