讀後心得

The chairman of Taiwan Power Company, 曾文生, stated that the license for the No. 2 unit of the Third Nuclear Power Plant will expire in May this year. The opposition parties have proposed amendments to extend the operation to avoid a shutdown, but whether safety inspections can be skipped has sparked controversy. He emphasized that any extension must be based on safety and must gain public support. Experts pointed out that there are precedents in the United States for implementing safety inspections while continuing to operate, allowing the No. 2 unit of the Third Nuclear Power Plant to continue its operation while undergoing safety assessments. 曾文生 mentioned that extending the operation of nuclear power plants must follow procedures for safety analysis and review, and there is space in the spent fuel pool of the Third Nuclear Power Plant to adjust the use of spent nuclear fuel. The opinions of relevant domestic agencies will influence the decision regarding the extension.

Taipower Chairman Tseng Wensheng stated that the license for Unit 2 of the Third Nuclear Power Plant will expire on May 17 of this year. The opposition party has proposed amendments to extend the operation of nuclear power, hoping to allow Unit 3 to continue operating smoothly without a shutdown. Tseng mentioned that although there is still space in the spent fuel pool of Unit 3, whether it can extend its operation without conducting safety inspections remains a significant controversy, and this must be based on safety to gain "public support." However, experts counter that the practice of "operating while inspecting" has precedents abroad, and Unit 2 of the Third Nuclear Power Plant should also be able to implement this approach.

In an online program, Tseng pointed out that in terms of the use of nuclear power, President Lai Ching-te and Premier Su Tseng-chang have repeatedly emphasized that it must comply with three major principles: "safety, nuclear waste disposal capacity, and public support." Regarding whether there is room for extending the operation of domestic nuclear power plants, he mentioned that the Second Nuclear Power Plant is still constructing a dry storage facility, which means it will take some time to remove the fuel rods and assess safety. As for the fuel pool of Unit 3 having surplus capacity, it is indeed possible to transfer used fuel rods into it without requiring the reactor to shut down. However, whether it is possible to extend the operation without conducting safety inspections remains a significant controversy.

Regarding this controversy, Tseng emphasized that it should return to "public support," but this support must be based on safety. Rough practices will not gain public recognition. According to general procedures, the extension of a nuclear power plant's operation requires the submission of a complete safety analysis, followed by peer reviews from international counterparts, and finally submitting the research report to the Nuclear Safety Commission. However, Professor Yeh Tsung-kuang, a distinguished professor at the Department of Systems and Engineering Science at National Tsing Hua University, rebutted, pointing out that it is not necessary to shut down for safety inspections first. The practice of "operating while inspecting" has practical cases abroad. For example, at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in California, during its extension, the nuclear regulatory commission allowed the operation to continue without a shutdown, enabling safety inspections and the review of the extension report simultaneously; if problems were found, they could still require a shutdown for corrections.

Yeh Tsung-kuang stated that Unit 2 of the Third Nuclear Power Plant has already completed its annual maintenance and can certainly operate for a cycle (18 months), meaning it can continue to operate after mid-May, in compliance with safety regulations. He pointed out that Taipower should be able to conduct synchronous inspections and submit the extension report to the nuclear regulatory commission. As for Unit 1, which has been shut down for half a year, it indeed requires a half-year inspection first.