Taiwan: fire at a nuclear power plant in Pingtung County

A fire broke out Thursday morning (March 6) at Taiwan Power Co.’s (Taipower) Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County. The Pingtung Fire Department received a report about a large amount of smoke coming from the plant and sent men and vehicles to contain the fire. The blaze was soon extinguished using the water lines of the structure. According to the fire department, the fire was caused by sparks from cutting iron in the plant’s construction site. The sparks were picked up by the wind and ignited nearby material.
Ma-anshan has already been decommissioned, and the blaze had no impact on power generation or safety. No one was injured, and members of the Nuclear Safety Commission sent to investigate the event have excluded any risk of radiation leakage. However, the commission asked Taipower to take preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future and will monitor the company’s conduct. The fire sparked complaints and concerns in nearby Hengchun Township, with local councilor Chao Chi-ming leading a protest in front of the plant’s gate. He was not allowed into the facility. The Pingtung County Government complained that the power plant did not follow regulations and failed to report the incident immediately to local authorities. Therefore, it will seek the maximum fine allowable under the law, and the plant may even be ordered to suspend operations for up to 30 days.