Reactor No. 2 of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門) unexpectedly shut down yesterday afternoon, with authorities still investigating the cause.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) said the reactor’s alarm was tripped on 1:10pm yesterday due to high water levels in the reactor, causing the steam turbine to be shut down, followed by an emergency shutdown of the reactor.
The reactor was stable and there was no radiation leak, the company said.
Nuclear fuels inside the reactor core are immersed in water to heat the water, which turns to steam and then drives a steam turbine to generate electricity, and a feedwater system replenishes water boiled off from the reactor and keeps water levels stable, Taipower said.
The company theorized that the reactor’s feedwater system might have malfunctioned and caused water levels in the reactor to rise above normal levels, which the safety system recognized as an anomaly, leading it to shut down the turbine, but the exact cause remains to be determined.
Taipower was running with a 7.84 percent operating margin yesterday and there should be no power shortages this week as temperatures are falling, the state-run company said.
Atomic Energy Council Minister Chou Yuan-ching (周源卿) said the reactor could not be reactivated until Taipower makes a report to the council for review, which might take a few days.
The incident saw a complete shutdown of the Jinshan plant — whose reactor No. 1 has been out of commission since December 2014 — ahead of a national anti-nuclear protest tomorrow.
Green Citizens’ Action Alliance secretary-general Tsuei Su-hsin (崔愫欣) said there have been sporadic incidents at Jinshan plant and the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) — the nation’s oldest nuclear plants — in recent years, and the government should decommission those plants as soon as possible to prevent another incident, while making public the cause and investigation of the incident to ensure public safety.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS