A Japanese geologist who said faultlines located near the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao Township (貢寮), Taipei County, would threaten the safety of the plant in the event of an earthquake has urged Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to base its claims to the contrary on scientific evidence.
An experienced researcher on the effect of geological composition on building safety, Shiosaka Kunio located a new fault along the Gongliao coast near the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant during a three-day inspection last week.
Aside from the newly discovered fault, two other faults — the Fangjiao Fault (枋腳斷層) and the Shanjiao Fault (山腳斷層) — have been identified in the area where the power station is located.
At a press conference at the legislature, Shiosaka said the faults could threaten the safety of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant during an earthquake.
In response, Taipower asked how Shinosaka could locate a new fault in only three days and said that the faults the nuclear power plant sits on are inactive.
In a press release, the energy company claimed that after discussions with them, Shiosaka had agreed that one of the faults that runs through the grounds of the power plant was a shear zone rather than a fault.
In a written statement, Shiosaka said he was able to locate the new fault in a short time because he investigated the geological composition of the area with the help of a remote sensing technique and satellite imagery.
“Professionals who are involved in relevant areas should challenge me only after inspecting the area in person,” he said.
“As long as there’s a fault, the impact of an earthquake would be amplified at least 1.5 times more, whether it’s an active fault or not,” Shiosaka said.
“It’s meaningless to differentiate between active and inactive, because those definitions are artificial,” he said.
In Japan, an “inactive fault” is defined as a fault that has not been active for 1 million years. In Taiwan, the definition is limited to a period of 125,000 years.
“Taipower says the Fanjiang Fault is inactive because it hasn’t been active for 37,000 years,” Shiosaka said. “This is extremely unprofessional, as it’s not even in accordance with Taiwan’s own definition of what an ‘inactive fault’ means.”
Turning to the recently discovered fault, which is located near the fishing harbor in Aodi Village (澳底), Shiosaka said the fault had caused cracks on the levee of the harbor.
“The levee was built no more than 30 or 50 years ago. Though I don’t know the exact year, it means the fault has moved in recent decades,” he said.
Shiosaka criticized Taipower for claiming he agreed that the “fault” that ran through the nuclear power plant grounds was not a fault.
“I strongly condemn Taipower for this fabricated statement,” he said.
“The job of scientists is to serve the people, but there are some people who cover up their hearts to protect their interests,” Shiosaka said.
“Everyone makes mistakes, I make mistakes too, but scientists should always base their remarks on scientific evidence. I hope one day we can have a discussion based on hard facts to determine what’s best for the public,” he said.
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