Taipower: Full-Cycle Nuclear Waste Handling Department

Taipower: Fuel-Cycle Nuclear Waste Handling Department

Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage

Waste Storage Inside Plants

All compressible and flammable low-level radioactive waste produced by operating and maintaining nuclear power plants is sent to a volume-reduction center for compression and incineration. Currently, all low-level radioactive waste is in onsite waste storage facilities at individual nuclear power plants or at the Lanyu Storage Site awaiting final processing.

Taiwan Power Company has comprehensive programs for storing low-level radioactive waste. Safety is also ensured for waste storage.

After “Volume Reduction” and “Waste Reduction” operations by the Taiwan Power Company, the current annual volume of solid waste from three nuclear power plants has decreased to approximately 5,000 barrels.

Lanyu Storage Site for Low-level Radioactive Waste

[Map: names clockwise from top]

Langtao, Tungching, Yehyin, Lanyu Storage Site, Hungtou, Yuren, Yehyu

Location:

Lanyu Storage Site is located in the Longmen area on the southeast side of Lanyu Island. It faces the ocean in one direction with hills behind it in the other three directions. Therefore, natural barriers separate distant residents from the site.

Main Functions:

Low-level radioactive solid waste, produced by nuclear power plants and all medical, agricultural, industrial, education and research sectors throughout the country, is accepted.

In Min Kuo 61 [1972], the Atomic Energy Council of the Administration Bureau formed a team of technical experts to investigate waste pits, hills, and islands one by one throughout the province. After two years of careful evaluation, the site was selected.

Advantages

Area of the site is more than one square kilometer. Therefore, it is economically beneficial
There are no residents within five kilometers around the storage site
Facing the ocean with hills behind it, the natural barriers are extremely good. There are no effects on the local residents or their environment
Ocean transportation is safe and reliable

Waste is transported to the wharf by Dian Guang No. 1. After being tested and examined, it is sent to the site for storage. Strict controls are in place during transportation and storage. Moreover, thorough investigations and examinations are conducted on the environment inside the storage site and on the surrounding areas. Changes in radioactivity levels are controlled to ensure safety.