The Third Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County will hold safety drills from Sept. 6-7, with local residents urged not to panic if they receive a test emergency alert at 9:10 a.m. on Sept. 7.
The exercises will test the plant's accident management capabilities, including alerting local residents and maintaining a sufficient supply of power and water at the plant to prevent a meltdown, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said in a statement on Friday.
On Sept. 6, a simulation of a fire at the plant will be conducted, which will test the plant's efficacy at requesting external help, according to the AEC, the governing authority of all atomic energy related affairs in Taiwan.
On Sept. 7, the AEC, Pingtung County Government, the state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower), and the Police Broadcasting Service will carry out off-site exercises focused on informing people of a simulated nuclear accident through various channels, the AEC added.
The simulations will require the AEC, Pingtung County Government, the Radiation Monitoring Center, military units, and Taipower to take appropriate measures.
This will include simulating the repair of nuclear reactors at the plant, protecting civilians from radiation, monitoring environmental radiation levels, and providing medical assistance to people experiencing radiation sickness, according to the AEC.
The county government will be in charge of evacuations, setting up temporary shelters, and ensuring that schools have taken proper precautions against radiation exposure, the AEC said.
The Radiation Monitoring Center will team up with military units, the Coast Guard Administration, and the National Airborne Service Corps to measure radiation levels in soil, the ocean, and the air, according to the AEC.
The Pingtung University of Science and Technology will also measure radiation levels in field specimens, while the Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital will take part in the simulated treatment of patients exposed to radiation.
At 9:10 a.m. on Sept. 7, test emergency alerts will be broadcast to residents of Hengchun and Manzhou townships via push notification, phone, and radio, the AEC said.
Meanwhile, a livestream of the Sept. 7 exercises will be available for people who want to learn about the simulation but could not be there in person, according to the AEC.
People who have to pass through the sites of the exercise are asked to follow traffic controls, the AEC added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel