Following an automatic shutdown of the first reactor at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Wanli District (萬里) on Friday, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday said it would be able to restart operations last night.
Chai Fu-feng (蔡富豐), the chief nuclear energy engineer of Taipower’s power generation department, said the automatic shutdown of the plant’s electricity generator and reactor was triggered by a protective device that was activated when the generator’s grounding signal showed abnormal activity at 12:25pm on Friday.
The abnormal grounding signals occurred after a blade came loose from the air damper and dropped onto the bus bar insulator between the generator and the main transformer, he added.
Chai said the incident occurred at the generator, so it did not damage the nuclear reactor and there were no safety problems such as radiation leakage.
Taipower has already solved the problem by re-securing the blade and replacing related components, he said, adding that the Atomic Energy Council at 1:41am yesterday said it was safe for the reactor to resume operations.
Since the first reactor at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山) is also shut off for annual maintenance, some people had voiced concerns that the incident could affect the supply of electricity in northern parts of the nation.
Taipower estimated the peak load of electricity demand for today would be about 31.6 million kilowatts, and the company can generate about 35.84 million kilowatts, so it said there was no need to worry about insufficient power supply.
As for the estimated electricity demand for today in northern areas, which accounts for about 45 percent of the nation’s demand, Chai said an estimated electricity shortage of 1.81 kilowatts in the area will be made up by transmitting electricity generated in the south.
In responce to a question on whether the frequency of reactor trip accidents at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant was considered high, he said: “Shutdowns have occurred three times in five years, which is about average, or even a bit better than average, compared with the rest of the world.”
However, Taipower would still review its maintenance operations, he said.
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect