After observing Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant's annual nuclear safety drill today, Premier Sean Chen remarked that because Taiwan does not have abundant natural resources for electricity generation, and Taiwanese citizens favor low-carbon lifestyles and a low- or non-nuclear environment, the government must take careful consideration before drafting and deciding energy policies, but ensuring nuclear safety will always receive the highest priority.
Chen also stated that governments around the world have heightened their focus on nuclear safety since the accident in Fukushima, Japan. Today's exercises at Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City's Shimen District included simulations of all possible scenarios, according to officials.
The premier observed the seawater intake drill, a simulation of a reactor core overheating during an earthquake that bends or breaks off pipelines to water pools. The plant staff was tasked with channeling water into the plant from outside sources such as streams or the sea to cool the core while simultaneously dealing with internal power outages.
According to the Nuclear Emergency Response Act, in the case of a nuclear incident, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) must immediately establish a central emergency operation center and a radiation monitoring center. The radiation monitoring center must offer the information necessary for disaster management decisions to be made, and its effectiveness is crucial, the premier said after visiting a center set up during the safety exercise.
According to the AEC, today's major drill items included the following:
- the seawater intake drill
- emergency repairs of the electrical system and plant equipment
- electrical generator management
- the delivery of news about an accident and public disclosure of related information
- medical treatment of second-degree radiation injuries
- land, sea and air inspections
- radiation inspection route planning
- providing safety advice to the public