The Atomic Energy Council should improve emergency drills at the nation’s nuclear power plants by including simulated terrorist attacks, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said yesterday, adding that the council should submit a plan on how it would implement the drills.
Beijing has increased its threat to Taiwan by dispatching fighter jets and surveillance planes into the nation’s airspace several times, and leaked People’s Liberation Army documents show that Taiwan’s nuclear power plants could be the targets of attacks, Huang said.
The government in 2011 issued a list of items that are to be inspected at nuclear power plants, which include their ability to withstand terrorist attacks, he said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
However, he questioned whether Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) had thoroughly evaluated the safety of nuclear power plants based on the list, asking whether the company has addressed the possibility of terrorist attacks in its drills.
The nation’s nuclear power plants were designed according to US safety regulations, the council said in response, adding that Taipower has established points of contact with the military and police to help it handle various emergency situations, including large fires.
The council also regularly inspects the facilities at nuclear power plants, including ensuring that they have alternative sources of water and electricity, it said.
Many different types of drills take place at nuclear power plants and the photographs of drills on the council’s Web site have been chosen with security considerations in mind, it added.
The council has signed agreements with the police, military and Coast Guard Administration on jointly conducting emergency drills, although the military branches are only involved in drills outside of the plants, it said.
The council would ask Taipower to ensure that all its facilities meet the required safety standards and to consider improvements to its emergency drills, it added.
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