A reactor in one of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants has been repaired after the discovery of a cooling pipe leak. The leak was found during a routine test on Wednesday.
Plant staff were performing a signal test for the emergency diesel generator when they detected a leak in the cooling system. Technicians manually stopped the test, resulting in the country’s grid experiencing a temporary drop in the power supply.
Taiwan’s electric utility said on Thursday it immediately notified energy regulators of the incident. It says power is still being provided from other reactor units while repairs are undertaken, and there are no concerns about safety or radiation leaking.
As for the cause of the cooling pipe leak, the utility says a gasket was not locked into position after equipment replacements. It says this mistake was quickly corrected.
The utility adds that nuclear power plant repairs will be completed on schedule this Friday. After passing a week-long inspection process, the offline reactor should be ready to restart on the 31st.