Reactor No. 2 of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門) unexpectedly shut down yesterday afternoon, with authorities still investigating the cause.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) said the reactor’s alarm was tripped on 1:10pm yesterday due to high water levels in the reactor, causing the steam turbine to be shut down, followed by an emergency shutdown of the reactor.
The reactor was stable and there was no radiation leak, the company said.
Nuclear fuels inside the reactor core are immersed in water to heat the water, which turns to steam and then drives a steam turbine to generate electricity, and a feedwater system replenishes water boiled off from the reactor and keeps water levels stable, Taipower said.
The company theorized that the reactor’s feedwater system might have malfunctioned and caused water levels in the reactor to rise above normal levels, which the safety system recognized as an anomaly, leading it to shut down the turbine, but the exact cause remains to be determined.
Taipower was running with a 7.84 percent operating margin yesterday and there should be no power shortages this week as temperatures are falling, the state-run company said.
Atomic Energy Council Minister Chou Yuan-ching (周源卿) said the reactor could not be reactivated until Taipower makes a report to the council for review, which might take a few days.
The incident saw a complete shutdown of the Jinshan plant — whose reactor No. 1 has been out of commission since December 2014 — ahead of a national anti-nuclear protest tomorrow.
Green Citizens’ Action Alliance secretary-general Tsuei Su-hsin (崔愫欣) said there have been sporadic incidents at Jinshan plant and the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) — the nation’s oldest nuclear plants — in recent years, and the government should decommission those plants as soon as possible to prevent another incident, while making public the cause and investigation of the incident to ensure public safety.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS