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Nuclear plants need upgrade to better resist tsunamis: report

ROC Central News Agency

2011/05/11 19:25:14

By Lin Shu-yuan and Y.F. Low

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) Taiwan's three existing nuclear power plants need to be upgraded so that they can better resist damage from tsunamis, officials said Wednesday, citing the preliminary results of a safety review conducted by the state-run Taiwan Power Company.

The results also indicate that the quake resistance level of the No. 1 nuclear power plant needs to be increased from 0.3G to 0.4G, Atomic Energy Council Minister (AEC) Tsai Chuen-horng said in a hearing held by the legislative Education and Culture Committee.

According to Tsai, Taipower submitted the results of the review to the AEC Tuesday, and the AEC will produce a report based on the findings by the end of June.

AEC officials said future upgrade projects will mainly focus on setting up external electricity supply systems at the power plants so that they could cope with emergency situations. Also, important facilities at the plants should be properly insulated to help prevent damage in the event of a tsunami, they added.

The safety review was initiated after a magnitude 9 earthquake hit Japan March 11, triggering tsunami waves of more than 30 meters that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Taipower officials said the three existing nuclear power plants in Taiwan were designed to resist tsunamis of up to 11 meters, and the nuclear accident in Japan has highlighted the need for a higher level of resistance.

To this end, Taipower is planning to build bunker gates at the No. 2 and No. 3 nuclear power plants, the officials said.

On the effort to revise the Nuclear Damage Compensation Law, Tsai said the AEC has completed its amendment proposals and is in the process of submitting them to the Cabinet for review.

The bill aims to increase the maximum compensation in a nuclear disaster from NT$4.2 billion to NT$15 billion. It will also remove a clause in the existing law that grants immunity from liability in cases of natural catastrophes, according to AEC officials.

In addition, it will extend the statute of limitations on nuclear accidents from three years to 30 years, the officials said.