Two of the nation’s three decommissioned nuclear power plants may feasibly be recommissioned, according to a Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) report approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday.
Taipower is expected to propose restart plans to the Nuclear Safety Commission by March next year after conducting voluntary safety inspections, the ministry said in a news release today.
The Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County's Hengchun Township (恆春) may both feasibly be restarted, the report said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The Ma-anshan plant’s voluntary safety inspection has to undergo peer review and requires assistance from the original manufacturer, a process estimated to take one-and-a-half to two years, the ministry said.
The Kuosheng plant still has spent nuclear fuel that must first be removed, it said, adding that it would take a longer time than the Ma-anshan plant due to nearly a decade of delays in completing its dry-storage facility.
Taipower conducted status assessments for the three nuclear power plants in accordance with the newly amended Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) and relevant regulations, it said.
The assessment covered seven major areas: unit equipment, labor allocation, dry cask storage for spent fuel, operating-life extensions of similar reactor types, seismic resistance, safety inspection readiness and power-supply efficiency.
Results showed that the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) is not suitable for recommissioning, it said.
The plant’s two units have been offline for more than 11 and eight years respectively, leading to severe equipment aging, it said.
Most major power-generation components have already been dismantled, and the majority of instrumentation and electrical parts would need replacement or upgrading, it said.
It also uses the same reactor design as those involved in the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan, where all similar units have entered decommissioning, it added.
However, preliminary findings showed that the Kuosheng plant possesses the conditions for restart, it said.
The plant’s safety and support systems have continued to receive periodic overhaul and maintenance as if it were still operating, it said.
However, its power-generation systems have been idle for more than two years, requiring long-term overhaul and implementation of a restoration control plan, with functions needing reverification, it said.
Preliminary findings also showed that the Ma-anshan plant meets the conditions for recommissioning, it said.
The plant’s equipment has not been dismantled and all units have undergone regular overhaul and maintenance to operational standards, it said.
The reactors have been cleared, with room still available in the spent-fuel pools, it added.
However, certain components that involve original manufacturer patents would require their assistance, it said.
Following approval of the status assessment report, Taipower is expected to prepare restart plans and initiate voluntary safety inspections, including aging and seismic safety evaluations, it said.
The ministry said that the voluntary safety inspections would assess whether various facilities and equipment at the plants can have their operating lives extended and determine necessary reinforcements.
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