Cracks of up to 30cm have been found on the core shroud of the No.1 reactor at the idled Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Wanli District (萬里), New Taipei City (新北市), an Atomic Energy Council official has confirmed.
Civic groups yesterday warned against reactivating the plant.
In addition to unsettled concerns about cracked anchor bolts at the reactor, Green Consumers Foundation chairman Jay Fang (方儉) revealed that two cracks were found on welded parts of the core shroud, which Fang said could lead to disaster if the reactor is reactivated without repairs.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Deputy Director of the Atomic Energy Council’s (AEC) Department of Nuclear Regulation Chen Yi-pin (陳宜彬) was quoted by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday as having confirmed on Sunday that the two long cracks were discovered during routine checkup and maintenance in March.
The core shroud is a large cylinder of circumferentially welded plates made of stainless steel, surrounding the reactor fuel core, which is composed of fuel rods assembled into bundles.
According to Chen, the cracks at the core shroud’s weld bead are located near where the most neutrons are emitted in the reactor core, and embrittlement of the weld bead is a result of stress corrosion from neutron exposure, adding that “it is a common problem of boiling-water reactors that has been known for over 20 years.”
Chen was also quoted as saying that cracks of 20cm were found at the first reactor six years ago and that even if holes were found on the core shroud, it would only affect the thermal efficiency as long as the reactor is still intact.
Lee Kuei-lin (李桂林), a retired Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) employee who had worked at the plant for 33 years, told a press conference yesterday that the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant had had many instances of sudden emergency shut-downs and the thermal effect from a sudden drop in temperature from 300oC in the reactor core may be the real cause of the cracks.
As the top guide and core plate, which are welded onto the shroud, provide horizontal support for the fuel assemblies, the core shroud cracking may lead to instability or displacement of the guide and the plate, resulting in the misalignment of the fuel bundles, he said.
He added that control rods cannot be inserted between the fuel bundles if they are slightly misaligned, so a critical problem that could arise would be the loss of fuel core cooling capability.
The worst-case scenario that could, in turn, result from the inability to insert controls rods would be a core meltdown, he warned.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said core shroud cracking was identified at Germany’s Wuergassen reactor (which, like the Guosheng No. 1 reactor, was also designed by General Electric Co) in 1994, and the cost of replacement was estimated at US$65 million, but the German government decided to retire the plant instead.
Similar cases of core shroud cracking were reported at many reactors in Japan in 2002, including the three reactors that had gone into meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant last year, Green Citizens’ Action Alliance board member Lai Wei-Chieh (賴偉傑) said, adding that although the power shortage caused by the tsunami and earthquake were blamed for the accident, the possible impacts caused by the cracks should also be explored.
The groups urged the council not to allow Taipower to reactivate the reactor and put the lives of all the people living in greater Taipei under the threat of nuclear disaster.
In response, the AEC said in a press release yesterday evening that it has approved Taipower’s safety evaluation report on reactivating the first reactor after repairing the broken anchor bolts. It promised to monitor the crack or abnormal tremors of the reactor in the future and said the reactor can operate safely for another 18 months..
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS