Oversight blamed for nuclear scare

An unexpected reactor shutdown at the Third Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County last Sunday can be to attributed an administrative oversight, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said yesterday.

The shutdown has prompted the AEC to investigate other nuclear plants' documentation procedures, an AEC official told the Taipei Times.

Last Sunday, a 1.5cm-long hairline crack in one of the pipes used to cool a generator -- which powers the plant's Unit 2 reactor -- caused water spillage, eventually leading to the shutting down of the reactor.

The broken pipe was replaced on Sunday and a pressure test was carried out to ensure that the new pipe would perform well.

On Tuesday, AEC officials gave the go-ahead for the company to restart the reactor, which had been on hot-standby status since the accident occurred. The green light came after Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台電), the plant's operator, conducted a "root-cause analysis" of the problem.

Unit 2 restarted at 3am yesterday and reached full-operating status just hours later. The two 950-megawatt power-generating units at the plant are now functioning normally.

Ni Maw-sherg (倪茂盛), deputy director of the AEC's nuclear regulation department, said that the cracked pipe was a spare part installed as a temporary measure in 1994, when an annual overhaul of the plant was conducted. The pipe was a substitute for out-of-stock material, which is thicker and more pressure-resistant.

Ni said that administrators forgot to file documentation at the time that would have mandated further inspection and eventual replacement of the part.

"We will soon give a minor demerit to Taipower," Ni said.

The AEC official said that Taipower should have paid greater attention to the use and control of such spare parts.

"The accidents have prompted the AEC to investigate the plant's procedure for filing such documents," Ni said.

The AEC will also carry out a similar investigation at two other nuclear plants in Taipei County within six months, according to Ni.

Officials at the Third Nuclear Power Plant are also reported to be planning a thorough self-examination.

Last Sunday's reactor shut down was the second reported scare at the plant since an annual overhaul of the facility was completed on June 1.

On June 6, a reactor component failed, leading to a shutdown. The plant resumed normal operation on June 9, only to fail again last Sunday.