Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal Briefing to be Held on 28th, Environmental Group Calls for Decommissioning and No Restart
Environmental groups are urging the decommissioning of Taiwan's Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Third Plant) and opposing its restart. They cite geological risks, frequent accidents, and unresolved nuclear waste issues. The Nuclear Safety Commission is scheduled to hold a local briefing session tomorrow, the 28th, regarding the license renewal application.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 13:49
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 14:01 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 03:18 (13h 16m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chang Hsiung-Feng, Taipei 27th) The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) will hold a local briefing session tomorrow regarding the license renewal application for the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Third Plant). The Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association today stated that the Nuclear Third Plant faces geological risks, has had frequent fires and accidents over the years, and has unresolved nuclear waste issues; therefore, they call for its decommissioning and no restart.
The Nuclear Safety Commission will hold a local briefing session on "NSC's Review of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant Operating License Renewal Application" tomorrow at the Hengchun Township Office in Pingtung County. The Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association today issued a 6-point statement, calling for the decommissioning of the Nuclear Third Plant and urging against the risky restart of nuclear power.
The Wild at Heart Association stated that, first, the geological risks of the Nuclear Third Plant should be fully investigated, disclosed, and considered before any decision. The Nuclear Third Plant has an active fault, the Hengchun fault, passing through the plant area, and ignitable marsh gas was found during the installation of seismographs in the past. Related geological risks should be fully disclosed and considered.
Second, the Nuclear Third Plant's past fires, radiation leaks, and other abnormal conditions should be fully disclosed, and explanations provided on how to prevent recurrence. The Nuclear Third Plant has had at least 7 fire incidents, including the '77 Fire' which caused a 1-year and 2-month shutdown; the '318 Blackout Incident' which almost caused a nuclear disaster due to a complete loss of power; and fire accidents caused by aging equipment.
Furthermore, the Nuclear Third Plant has had at least 35 radiation contamination incidents, including radiation steam leaks from ruptured pipelines; contamination of drainage ditches in the waste facility; and even 5,000 gallons of radioactive wastewater contaminating Nanwan beach.
Third, the long-term health risks of incinerating low-level nuclear waste at the Nuclear Third Plant's volume reduction center; fourth, the poor geological conditions of the Nuclear Third Plant are unsuitable for long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste, and the location of the final repository should be explained; fifth, if a nuclear accident unfortunately occurs after the Nuclear Third Plant restarts operations, how to properly evacuate and resettle residents and the relevant compensation plans should be fully explained.
Taking the Fukushima nuclear disaster as an example, the Wild at Heart Association noted that the evacuation radius for residents was about 30 kilometers, and the US evacuation radius was about 80 kilometers. For the Nuclear Third Plant, the number of residents within the same distances would be about 60,000 and nearly 4 million people, respectively. If a nuclear accident unfortunately occurs after the Nuclear Third Plant restarts, how to properly evacuate and resettle residents should be fully explained.
Finally, an economic benefit analysis should be conducted for the cost of equipment updates and reinforcement required for the Nuclear Third Plant's restart. Many private nuclear power plants globally have chosen to decommission on schedule or even earlier due to the high costs of equipment updates and safety enhancements, which were not economically viable. Taipower, as a state-owned enterprise, should not disregard economic benefits just because it uses public funds, being overly generous with public money. (Edited by Chen Ching-Fang) 1150427
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(Central News Agency reporter Chang Hsiung-Feng, Taipei 27th) The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) will hold a local briefing session tomorrow regarding the license renewal application for the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Third Plant). The Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association today stated that the Nuclear Third Plant faces geological risks, has had frequent fires and accidents over the years, and has unresolved nuclear waste issues; therefore, they call for its decommissioning and no restart.
The Nuclear Safety Commission will hold a local briefing session on "NSC's Review of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant Operating License Renewal Application" tomorrow at the Hengchun Township Office in Pingtung County. The Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association today issued a 6-point statement, calling for the decommissioning of the Nuclear Third Plant and urging against the risky restart of nuclear power.
The Wild at Heart Association stated that, first, the geological risks of the Nuclear Third Plant should be fully investigated, disclosed, and considered before any decision. The Nuclear Third Plant has an active fault, the Hengchun fault, passing through the plant area, and ignitable marsh gas was found during the installation of seismographs in the past. Related geological risks should be fully disclosed and considered.
Second, the Nuclear Third Plant's past fires, radiation leaks, and other abnormal conditions should be fully disclosed, and explanations provided on how to prevent recurrence. The Nuclear Third Plant has had at least 7 fire incidents, including the '77 Fire' which caused a 1-year and 2-month shutdown; the '318 Blackout Incident' which almost caused a nuclear disaster due to a complete loss of power; and fire accidents caused by aging equipment.
Furthermore, the Nuclear Third Plant has had at least 35 radiation contamination incidents, including radiation steam leaks from ruptured pipelines; contamination of drainage ditches in the waste facility; and even 5,000 gallons of radioactive wastewater contaminating Nanwan beach.
Third, the long-term health risks of incinerating low-level nuclear waste at the Nuclear Third Plant's volume reduction center; fourth, the poor geological conditions of the Nuclear Third Plant are unsuitable for long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste, and the location of the final repository should be explained; fifth, if a nuclear accident unfortunately occurs after the Nuclear Third Plant restarts operations, how to properly evacuate and resettle residents and the relevant compensation plans should be fully explained.
Taking the Fukushima nuclear disaster as an example, the Wild at Heart Association noted that the evacuation radius for residents was about 30 kilometers, and the US evacuation radius was about 80 kilometers. For the Nuclear Third Plant, the number of residents within the same distances would be about 60,000 and nearly 4 million people, respectively. If a nuclear accident unfortunately occurs after the Nuclear Third Plant restarts, how to properly evacuate and resettle residents should be fully explained.
Finally, an economic benefit analysis should be conducted for the cost of equipment updates and reinforcement required for the Nuclear Third Plant's restart. Many private nuclear power plants globally have chosen to decommission on schedule or even earlier due to the high costs of equipment updates and safety enhancements, which were not economically viable. Taipower, as a state-owned enterprise, should not disregard economic benefits just because it uses public funds, being overly generous with public money. (Edited by Chen Ching-Fang) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide supports the power of press freedom.
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.