Unit 1 of the Taiwanese nuclear power plant Kuosheng was shut down on July 1 after 40 years of electricity generation and entered the decommissioning phase, announced the state-owned energy supplier Taiwan Power Company (Taipower).
The block’s operating license won’t expire until late 2021, but with its waste fuel pool nearly full, Taipower had reduced its power generation capacity by around 20% since late February. With the pool now full, Taipower said the 985 MWe facility needs to be closed in preparation for a major overhaul to ensure it is safe before it is finally decommissioned.
The overhaul should be completed in six months. The other unit of the facility is slated to be operational by March 2023, when its operating license expires, Taipower noted.
Taiwan’s government has committed to phasing out nuclear power by 2025 and replacing it with renewable energy, so that renewables make up 20% of the energy mix and fossil fuels make up the other 80%. Nuclear power accounted for about 11.2% of total electricity generation in Taiwan in 2020, up from 16-19% it once contributed. The economy ministry said other forms of energy, including natural gas, solar and hydropower, are being used to fill the gap.
Taipower first proposed its decommissioning plan for Kuosheng 1 three years ago and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) approved an ongoing dispute between New Taipei City and Taipower in October 2020.
Taiwan has four operational nuclear power plants – two each at Kuosheng and Maanshan – which account for around 15% of the island’s electricity generation. Unit 1 of Taiwan’s oldest power plant, Chinshan, was taken offline in December 2018, followed by Chinshan 2 in July 2019. The reactors are planned to be decommissioned by 2043 (see plans for Chinshan). Construction of two units in Lungmen began in 1999, but the project has suffered political, legal and regulatory delays. The completed Block 1 was mothballed in July 2015, the construction of Block 2 was discontinued in April 2014.
Kuosheng 1 was permanently closed after its spent fuel storage facility reached capacity (photo courtesy of Taipower)
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