The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) plans to launch a four-year project to develop small modular reactor (SMR) and micro modular reactor technologies, an official familiar with the matter said.
Before the four-year project, which is estimated to cost NT$800 million (US$26.45 million), the commission would spend NT$100 million next year to fund a research project on SMRs and establish the capacity to review applications for building SMRs, the official said.
The plan was unveiled after the referendum last month on whether to reactivate the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County failed.
Photo: Taipei Times
Although the number of votes in favor did not reach the threshold for approval, the “yes” votes outnumbered “no” votes in every locality. In Hengchun Township (恆春), where the plant is located, 60 percent of those who voted approved the proposal.
President William Lai (賴清德) also ordered Taiwan Power Co (台電) to begin safety inspections at the plant after the referendum, adding that the government does not exclude the possibility of developing new-generation nuclear energy technology.
The official said that the project, which would be executed by the National Atomic Research Institute, would focus on the research on low-carbon and high energy density SMRs.
Key tasks to be accomplished through the project include introducing technology of building SMRs domestically at the initial phase, providing the technology and legal framework for new-generation nuclear energy policy, establishing the capacity to review applications for building SMRs, forming a national team to develop SMRs and reducing the time required to build SMRs, they said.
The nation’s demand for nuclear energy specialists has decreased due to the “nuclear-free homeland” policy. As such, the institute plans to send researchers to national nuclear energy laboratories in Europe, North America and Japan to engage in short-term research or internships, or take nuclear engineering courses at prestigious universities, the official said.
Meanwhile, the institute would recruit international specialists or Taiwanese doing nuclear energy research overseas to help bring in the most advanced nuclear technology and work with local nuclear power specialists, they said.
Regarding the possibility of allowing the private sector or academic institutions to build new-generation nuclear reactors, the commission said that the US, the UK and Japan have invested in related studies, but none has achieved commercial operational capability.
In the US, regulatory standards for the new reactor types are still being drafted, it added.
“We will closely monitor international developments in regulatory frameworks,” it said.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS