The ROC Atomic Energy Council approved a Taiwan Power proposal June 18 to reactivate the No. 1 reactor at Guosheng nuclear power plant in New Taipei City following a comprehensive safety assessment.
Operations at the Guosheng plant in Wanli District were suspended for mechanical inspections in March, in the course of which one of the 120 anchor bolts that fix the reactor in position was found to be broken, and six others were discovered to have cracks of over 2.5 millimeters. The AEC then ordered a comprehensive check of the facilities.
The council identified stress corrosion cracking of the structural materials in the nuclear reactor environments, as well as outdated construction methods and material defects, as the reasons for the fractured bolts.
Relying on opinions from technical reviews by experts it convened, the AEC then asked Taipower to further assure the structural integrity of the bolts.
With AEC approval of the safety evaluation report, engineers at the plant began standard procedures for restarting the reactor at 9 pm the same evening, Taipower said.
The decision drew fire from civic groups. “The cracked bolts show the aging of the reactor, and it is irresponsible of both the AEC and Taipower to put the reactor on line again with the presumption that it can run safely for 18 more months [until the next scheduled inspection],” the nongovernmental Green Citizens’ Action Alliance said.
A resolution by the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee previously required that the AEC deliver a special report to the Legislature and hold a public hearing before making a decision on reactivating the reactor, but these procedures have not been completed.
In response, Chen Yi-pin, deputy director of the AEC Department of Nuclear Regulation, said the AEC approved Taipower’s application in its capacity as the supervisory agency for the nation’s nuclear safety and in line with all regulations.
