AEC to review floodgate seal times for nuclear power plants
ROC Central News Agency
2011/03/16 14:53:51
By Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu
Taipei, March 16 (CNA) The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said Wednesday that it will review the situation after it was revealed that tsunami floodgates to seal the country's nuclear power plants could take as long as 30 minutes to close.
AEC Minister Tsai Chuen-horng addressed the issue of shutting down the plants in the event of a tsunami at a legislative committee meeting amid public concerns about the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan after it was damaged by a tsunami triggered by the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
Tsai said the floodgates of Taiwan's first nuclear power plant require 30 minutes to close fully, while the gates for the No. 3 plant take 10 minutes to provide a seal.
However, he noted that the second plant and the still-under-construction fourth plant are sealed and do not require floodgates.
"The AEC will review the problem of the long time required to seal the first nuclear power plant in the event of a tsunami, " Tsai said.
He also said the council has a stockpile of 120,000 boxes of iodine tablets, which should be "sufficient for emergency use by residents living within five kilometers of nuclear power plants" in the event of a catastrophe.
If the supply is insufficient, emergency purchases can be made within five days, Tsai said.
He also said the council will provide residents living in the vicinity of the fourth nuclear power plant, located at Kungliao in New Taipei City, with additional iodine tablets in the coming days.
The AEC said it distributed the tablets in 2004 to residents living within five kilometers of the nuclear power plants, with each household receiving a two-day ration. The tablets are viable for 10 years.
The latest distributions will be for residents who have not kept their tablets carefully, the AEC said.
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