Engineer blows whistle on China Shipbuilding

According to the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), an engineer blew the whistle on state-run China Shipbuilding Corp (中船) in April when he reported that the company had been using inferior materials in the construction of a reactor pedestal for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.

The man, who worked for one of the company's contractors, filed the report on April 24.

The discovery has resulted in demands by the AEC for the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) to rebuild all or most of the pedestal, officials said yesterday.

"Materials which are are less pressure-resistant used in the construction [of the reactor pedestal] would certainly affect its performance, creating safety concerns," AEC Vice Chairman Chiou Syh-tsong (邱賜聰) said yesterday.

The pedestal reportedly costs about NT$180 million.

After receiving the report, the AEC says it carried out a comprehensive investigation, including on-site observation and welding material composition analysis.

"We have no choice but to demand the reconstruction of those elements of the pedestal that now await assembly at China Shipbuilding, because results of the composition analysis show that the items could never been repaired," Shen Li (沈禮), director of the AEC's department of nuclear regulation, told the Taipei Times yesterday.

According to the AEC, the pedestal contains five components. Shen's comments refer to four of the components built by China Shipbuilding. The last component, completed and transferred to the construction site at the nuclear plant site in Kungliao township, Taipei County, is awaiting assembly.

Shen said that the AEC had also carried out on-site observations and welding material composition analysis on the last component of the pedestal at the plant construction site.

But a final decision on whether to demand the reconstruction of the final component of the pedestal would be made after the AEC receives a similar report from Taipower, Shen said. That report is expected within days.

In addition, the AEC has ordered Taipower to take responsibility for mistakes in the plant's construction. Reportedly, high-ranking officials of Taipower are to be issued warnings over the lapse.

Taipower officials said yesterday that rebuilding the reactor pedestal, which will support the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 1, would not delay the completion of the plant, set for 2006.

"Contracted companies should be held responsible for the pedestal's jerry-built construction, as Taipower has not officially checked and accepted the reactor pedestal," Taipower President Lin Ching-chi (林清吉) said in answer to questions raised by reporters at the legislature yesterday.

Lin said that Taipower is investigating China Shipbuilding's supervision of its contracted companies.

Meanwhile, China Shipbuilding Corp has halted the construction of another of the plant's reactor pedestals.

Fan Kuang-nan (范光男), deputy managing director of the company, said yesterday the company hoped Taipower would allow it to continue the construction of the reactor pedestal for Unit 2 in order to meet the deadline.

Anti-nuclear activists told the Taipei Times yesterday that they are not be surprised at errors surrounding the construction, as rumors about changes in the details of the project have been widespread in Kungliao since the resumption of construction last year.