Responding to questions about nuclear safety in Taiwan after Thursday's accident in Japan, a Taipower (
The Central News Agency quoted the unnamed official as saying that there are no nuclear uranium processing facilities in Taiwan, and all fuel used in Taiwan's reactors is imported from Japan.
The official also mentioned that fuel used in Taiwan's reactors is stored in steel casings before being loaded into the reactor, rendering it very stable.
The accident at Japan's Tokaimura uranium processing facility on Thursday left 49 exposed to radiation and forced more than 320,000 people to stay in their homes to avoid exposure.
Hsieh Chih-cheng (
Hsieh said Japan's response was in marked contrast with Taiwan authorities' foot-dragging in emergency situations.
In Taiwan, government agencies routinely cover up accidents involving radioactive materials, and Taiwan still lacks a clear evacuation plan in the event of a nuclear accident, Hsieh said.
Hsieh's organization has repeatedly submitted proposals to Taipower and the Atomic Energy Council (AEC, 原委會) to expand nuclear disaster drills to a range of 30km. This would include distributing iodine tablets to all households within the area. Both Taipower and the AEC have refused all such requests, Hsieh reports, and even residents living in the vicinity of nuclear power plants are still without iodine tablets.
Taking iodine tablets soon after radiation exposure saturates the thyroid gland with a non-radioactive isotope of iodine, reducing the chance of radiation absorption and concentration.
Hsieh says the threat of radiation leaks exists in Taiwan even though there are no uranium processing facilities here. There have been numerous accidents involving the transportation of fuel rods and irradiated materials, according to Hsieh.
The most recent accident occurred last month when 31 barrels loaded with steel frames dismantled from the First Nuclear Power Plant fell into the Chienhwa (乾華溪) Creek in Taoyuan County.
The barrels fell into the creek after the truck carrying them overturned. The driver was found to be drunk, and the truck was later determined to have been overloaded.
Taipower and other government agencies covered up the accident to avoid alarming nearby residents, Hsieh said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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