Taiwan’s first nuclear power plant may have been leaking radiation-contaminated water for up to three years, it has emerged.
An investigation by the country’s government watchdog Control Yuan found that the First Nuclear Power Plant, located near Taipei, had been leaking toxic water from storage pools of two reactors.
Taipower, Taiwan’s nuclear power plant operator, claimed that the water came from condensation or floor cleaning and was recycled back into the plant’s storage pools, so did not pose an environmental threat.
But Control Yuan has dismissed Taipower explanation, pointing to a lack of a proper plan for how to handle spent nuclear materials.
“The company has yet to clearly establish the reason for the water leak,” the watchdog said.
The news comes just days after a fight broke out in the Taiwanese parliament over plans for the construction of a fourth nuclear plant in the country.
Nuke 4 has been in construction for more than 10 years and is near completion. The government claims the £6bn plant is needed to prevent a power shortage in the country.
The Taiwan leak adds to growing concerns over nuclear power in North Asia, following the recent admission by Japanese officials of highly radioactive water pouring out of the Fukushima plant, at the rate of 300 tonnes a day.
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