Shutdown process begins at Taiwan’s Kuosheng nuclear power plant

• 2 years ago (2021-07-02)
• David Flin

Asia 850 Nuclear 640

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Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) has announced that it has begun the shutdown process for the 985MW No. 1 generator at the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Wanli Distruct, New Tapei. The plant has been in operation for 40 years.

The generator will be shut down completely, after which it will undergo an environmental assessment, then begin its decommissioning stage, pending approval by the Atomic Energy Council.

Chang Ting shu, spokesperson for Taipower, said that the gap in power generation caused by the shutdown will be filled by a combination of generators that have been undergoing maintenance, as well as solar and wind power.

Although the No. 1 generator’s 40-year operating permit does not expire until the end of 2021, because its spent fuel pool was almost full, Taipower reduced the unit’s power generation capacity by 20 per cent in March and decided to shut it down early.

The No. 2 generator at Kuosheng is scheduled to operate until March 2023. Taiwan’s government is working to phase out the use of nuclear power by 2025 and replace it with renewable energy.