Construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant is on schedule, with the ROC government making every effort to ensure facility safety, according to the Atomic Energy Council.
The 3 August AEC statement follows local media reports that during a July 29 nuclear safety taskforce meeting, experts had raised concerns over the facility and demanded state-run Taiwan Power Co. halt work on the project.
Experts questioned Taipower’s ability to oversee construction of the plant and requested it implement structural design changes and seek assistance from international professionals.
Sources familiar with the matter claim the controversy has sparked speculation that the project might be scrapped entirely.
“Expert opinions expressed in the meeting do not represent the council’s final decision,” AEC Minister Tsai Chuen-horng said. “The question of whether to halt construction was raised during discussions, but there has never been any talk about abandoning the project.”
Tsai said the meeting focused on the current stage of construction and keeping the testing schedule on track to ensure facility safety when it comes on line in 2014.
While Taipower has been requested to suspend construction to correct flaws discovered during regular safety inspections, Tsai said, the AEC has never ordered a complete stoppage. “The AEC will continue working with relevant experts and officials on safety issues and conduct a full analysis of routine inspection results,” he added.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the nuclear station, located in New Taipei City, is now 93 percent complete with construction expenditure exceeding NT$250 billion (US$8.64 billion).
Upon completion, the facility will be able to generate 20 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, reducing Taiwan’s carbon emissions by 16.2 million metric tons.
