nuclear-news

Taiwan nuclear reactor shut down by typhoon

Typhoon Soulik causes nuclear reactor shutdown By John Liu, The China Post July 15, 2013, TAIPEI, Taiwan — Typhoon Soulik’s strong winds caused one of the reactors at Taiwan’s First Nuclear Power Plant to automatically shut down as part of precautionary measures twice on Saturday. At 2:50 a.m. on July 13, strong winds knocked out systems designed to reduce the likelihood of direct lighting strikes on the facility at the plant’s number two reactor unit, resulting in an automatic shutdown. While repairs were carried out on the system, the reading for the number of neutrons became exceedingly high, once again leading to an emergency shutdown as part of protection measures.

Taiwan Power Co. (台電) nuclear energy spokesman Tsai Fu-feng (蔡豐富) said both shutdowns are part of protection measures and “there are no safety concerns.” Tsai said however that there is room for improvement in the handling of the power plant………

The typhoon also led to a significant amount of detritus blocking the water inlet. The company will not only need to acquire approval from the AEC but also fix the blockage before the power plant resumes normal function……

The AEC said similar incidents have happened at the country’s nuclear power plants, and is still waiting on Taipower’s report for a detailed explanation of the cause and description of the accompanying procedures for handling the accident……http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/07/15/383773/Typhoon-Soulik.htm

July 15, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Taiwan