AEC looks into nuclear plant flaws

The analysis of samples collected yesterday and today from part of a reactor pedestal at the construction site of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant will form a key part of Atomic Energy Council (AEC) deliberations on whether the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) should replace the part, AEC officials said yesterday.

Several Control Yuan members, who are investigating the use of inferior welding materials in the construction of the pedestal, witnessed AEC officials collecting the samples from the site in Kungliao Township (貢寮) yesterday.

The collection of the 32 samples from 16 points on the first layer of the pedestal will be completed today.

Shen Li (沈禮), director of the AEC's department of nuclear regulation, told the Taipei Times yesterday that the council's Institute of Nuclear Energy Research would use spectrum analysis to determine the chemical components of the samples to see if inferior materials had been used.

"Results of the analysis, which won't be available until next week, will be crucial to our future decision on whether to order Taipower to redo the first layer of the reactor pedestal," Shen said.

In addition, Shen said, the results would also be important evidence in the Control Yuan's investigation into administrative neglect over the power plant's construction.

The construction defects were exposed in April, when a retired engineer from one of China Shipbuilding Corp's subcontractors sent an e-mail to AEC Chairman Ouyang Min-shen (歐陽敏盛), claiming that inadequately pressure-resistant materials were used in the construction of the reactor pedestal's second to fifth layers at China Shipbuilding's factories.

In June, the AEC confirmed that about 52 percent of the materials used in the layers were inferior and that they would have to be rebuilt.

The AEC also reviewed documents and inspected the first layer of the pedestal, judging that the quality of the construction was adequate.

Officials also said that a 50cm-long, 0.3m-deep crack on welding plate supporting the pedestal could be easily repaired.

Nevertheless, in early July several legislators claimed to have seen documents that indicated the first layer of the pedestal should be replaced because welding materials used in its construction were inadequately resistant to pressure.

AEC officials said yesterday that the 16 positions of the first layer chosen by the AEC included 12 welding places pointed out by the legislators.

Shen said yesterday that the construction of the second to fifth layers would not start until the AEC receives a Taipower report on a quality assurance project to ensure the quality of construction of the plant.