Taipei, April 24, 2007 (CENS)--The first nuclear power plant may be forced to be closed in 2010, eight years ahead of the original schedule of 2018, possibly leading to major power shortage, as the environment impact assessment of the dry storage facility for the plant`s nuclear fuel waste failed to win approval of the environmental evaluation taskforce of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) again yesterday (April 23).

The taskforce rejected to approve the assessment by three rejection votes, against two approval votes, requesting Taiwan Power Co., to supply more materials to clear their environmental concern over the project. The assessment was submitted to the environment evaluation committee of the EPA for approval in August 2005 and has yet to secure its approval following seven meetings of the taskforce and two general meetings of the committee.

The in-plant dry storage facility is designed to accommodate nuclear fuel waste, which is now stored in in-plant water pool, expected to reach full capacity in March 2010, following 30 years of operation of the first nuclear power plant, according to Taipower.

The allegation of Taipower apparently failed to convince the environment evaluation taskforce again yesterday, whose rejection is actually backed by none other than Chou Hsi-wei, Taipei county magistrate, and environmental groups. Opponents allege that since the first nuclear power plant is designed for 40 years of operation from the outset, the fuel-waste water pool should have sufficient capacity for 40-year use, charging that the dry storage facility actually aims to enable the plant, located in Shihmen village of Taipei county, extending its operation beyond 2018.

Taipower warned that should the first nuclear power plant be forced to shut down in 2010, its reserved power capacity would plunge to 2.8% and the company may be forced to resort to expensive natural gas for power generation at extra annual cost of NT$20 billion, inflicting NT$1 trillion cost for power shortage on the industrial sector. Nuclear power costs only NT$0.6 per kilowatt/hour, compared with NT$2 for natural gas-fueled power.

This represents another major setback for Taipower in its effort to boot its power-generation capacity to ward off possible power-shortage crisis, after having encountered blockade to its other power generation projects, including Linkou power plant renovation project, Shenao power plant, Changkung thermal power plant, Talin power plant in southern Taiwan, and Hsipao hydraulic power plant in Hualien. Taipower pointed out that should those projects be aborted, power shortage will begin to surface in 2011, with the reserved power capacity dropping to zero by 2015.

Tu Jui-yuan, chief engineer of Taipower, noted that the dry fuel-waste storage facility is located inside the first nuclear power plant, without any influence on the environment of the neighborhood. Taipower pointed out that radiation leaked by nuclear power plants to the neighborhood is only 1% of the natural radiation in Taiwan.

(by Philip Liu)