Toxic water leak in Taiwan nuclear plant

Two radioactive waste storage tanks at a nuclear power plant in Taiwan may have been leaking toxic water for the past three years, a new report shows.

The First Nuclear Power Plant, located in the remote northern coastal district of Shihmen, has been leaking toxic water from storage pools of two reactors, the government’s watchdog agency, Control Yuan, said in a recent report.

“[Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower)] has yet to clearly establish the reason for the water leak,” said the investigatory agency.

Control Yuan further pointed to numerous problems at the site, including lack of a proper plan outlining procedures to handle spent nuclear materials.

Meanwhile, an official with Taipower said the water did not come from the storage pools, rather from condensation of water used in the plant’s cleanup procedure – and recycled back into the storage pools.

“We have explained to the Control Yuan, but they turned it down. They asked us to look into if other causes were involved,” said the official.

Mass public and legislative protests have erupted against the controversial nuclear program in Taiwan, pushing lawmakers to rethink plans to build a fourth nuclear plant.

Taiwan currently has three operational nuclear power plants and six reactors.