One of Taiwan's Last Nuclear Reactors Set To Shut Down
One of Taiwan's last two operating nuclear reactors will shut down at the weekend after 40 years in service, halving the country's nuclear energy output as the government aims to phase out nuclear power totally by next year.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00After 40 years in service, Reactor 1 at the Ma'anshan Nuclear Power Plant on Taiwan's
00:05south coast is shutting down Saturday.
00:08With this retirement, nuclear's place in the national energy mix will fall from 6.3% to
00:133%, a significant step toward the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's goal of a nuclear-free
00:18homeland.
00:20The state-run Taiwan Power Company says it has a plan to make sure the country has enough
00:24power once the reactor is turned off.
00:26The plan is to borrow power from privately owned generation, bring generators under repair
00:40back online, and make up the rest with renewable energy.
00:44The company says it should have no problem keeping a reserve capacity of over 10% during
00:48the day and 7% at night when demand grows.
00:52But observers have some skepticism about this promise.
00:56Opposition lawmakers who have pushed to extend the use of nuclear power have considered moves
01:06like amending the Nuclear Safety Law.
01:09But even if they do, it will be too late to reverse the shutdown of Reactor 1.
01:13By law, any application to extend a reactor's service life has to be made 5 to 15 years
01:18ahead of time.
01:20A formal decommissioning will involve more steps, like removing reactor fuel and completing
01:36an environmental impact report.
01:39But whatever views the public or the political classes may have, there are just a few more
01:43days until the end of Reactor 1, and then its twin, Reactor No. 2, will become the lone
01:48nuclear power generator in Taiwan.
01:51Justin Wu and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.