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Lungmen Design Changes Did Not Affect Safety, Taipower Says

By Lubomir Mitev
24 January 2014

24 Jan (NucNet): Design changes made to the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) at the Lungmen nuclear power station in Taiwan have been reviewed by General Electric (GE) and have not affected the safety of the plant, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) has said.

The announcement was made in response to a decision by the Taipei high administrative court to uphold a fine imposed on Taipower by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) of 15 million Taiwan dollars (about 500,000 US dollars, 360,000 euros) for making 723 changes to the design of the plant.

There are two of the General Electric ABWR units under construction at Lungmen, on Taiwain’s northern coast.

A Taipower spokesperson said GE has approved 97 per cent of the changes and communication is continuing on the remaining three per cent.

The case was brought to court by the AEC in 2009 because it said Taipower had violated Taiwan’s atomic law because the changes were made without consulting with GE, the company responsible for the design.

The court’s verdict, issued on 26 December 2013, said “there are no doubts” that the changes made to the design of structures, components, equipment and systems are related to nuclear safety.

The court said any claims that there are no safety implications “are obviously not in accord with the facts”.

Taipower said the company’s management will now have to decide whether to appeal the decision of the administrative court.

A contract dispute began in 2007 between Taipower and GE over the costs of delays to the plant’s construction, which had started in 1999..

The dispute was settled in 2010 and a system for GE to revise design changes was established.

Taiwan has three nuclear stations in commercial operation with two reactor units at each. The stations are Chinshan, Kuosheng and Maanshan.

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