15 May (NucNet): A safety evaluation group carrying out a re-inspection of the Lungmen-1 nuclear reactor unit in Taiwan will complete its work and report to the government in mid-2014, the regulator has said.
The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) of Taiwan said state-owned nuclear operator Taipower’s application for initial fuel loading at the reactor will not be submitted until both the re-inspection and pre-operational testing of the unit are complete.
The AEC said that as of the end of March 2014, Lungmen-1 was 97.7 percent complete on construction, and 64.7 percent on pre-operational testing.
There are two of the General Electric Advanced Boiling Water Reactor units under construction at Lungmen, on Taiwan’s northern coast. Work on Lungmen-1 began in March 1999 and on Lungmen-2 in August 1999.
However, the government has said it will discontinue work on Lungmen-1 once the safety re-inspections are complete and the reactor could be put into protective storage. All construction work on Lungmen-2 will be halted.
Taiwan reacted to anti-nuclear protests in March 2014 by agreeing to halt construction of the two units at Lungmen with their eventual operation depending on the outcome of a national referendum.
For a referendum to pass, 50 percent of eligible voters need to turn out, with over half voting in favour or against. Some opposition Democratic Progressive Party politicians are calling for the turnout threshold to be reduced to 25 percent.
The DPP opposes the nuclear power station project on safety grounds, while Mr Ma’s ruling Kuomintang party says the island will run short of power unless it goes ahead.
The AEC also said the six reactors at Taiwan’s three nuclear power stations – Chinshan, Kuosheng and Maanshan – generated 41.64 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity (gross) in 2013, a rise of three percent from 2012 when there was an extended shutdown for repairs at Kuosheng-1.
The average capacity factor for all six units in 2013 was 91.77 percent, ranking Taiwan third among the 31 countries with commercial nuclear stations. This was despite four reactor scrams and a one-month delay to a refueling outage due to generator refurbishment at Chinshan-1.
