Nuclear safety drill to include drone countering exercises for 1st time

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission will conduct a nuclear safety drill at New Taipei's decommissioned Kuosheng (No. 2) Nuclear Power Plant from Sept. 8-10, which will include drone countering exercises for the first time.

At a news conference, the commission said the live-action drill, which is being held for the 32nd time, follows tabletop disaster response drills completed on July 30.

According to the commission, on Sept. 8, drills will be held at the power plant to test emergency response capabilities related to unit repairs and the restoration of power and water supplies following a disaster on the compound.

Lin Chen-hsuan (林貞絢), director of the commission's Nuclear Safety and Emergency Response Office, said that while drills in recent years have included simulated drone attacks, this year's will be the first to include a "drone pursuit" exercise, using jamming and other countermeasures.

In recent years, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine and the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates have been targeted by drone attacks.

Lin Ying-chi (林盈吉), deputy head of Taiwan Power Co.'s (Taipower) Nuclear Power Department, said security police at the No. 2 Power Plant were equipped with drone jamming devices.

During the drill, the security police will practice tracking and locking onto a drone, followed by jamming and interception exercises, Lin said.

According to Lin, the drill will also include a scenario in which a large-scale fire is caused by a drone attack, which will focus on a fire breaking out at a 650-kiloliter fuel storage tank that supplies emergency diesel generators.

Meanwhile, on Sept. 9 and 10, various public protection drills will be held in neighboring areas of Keelung and New Taipei City, including the sending of alert notifications, evacuation of travelers, supply delivery to isolated areas, preventive evacuations of vulnerable groups, setting up of protective stations, and medical treatment for radiation injuries.

These activities, along with land, sea and air radiation monitoring exercises, will also involve the New Taipei and Keelung city governments, the military, the commission's Radiation Monitoring Center, Taipower, and power plant staff, the commission said.

The No. 2 Power Plant, located in New Taipei's Wanli District, was shut down and entered decommissioning in March 2023.

On May 27, 2025, Taiwan's last active nuclear reactor at Maanshan (No. 3) Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung's Hengchun Township was shut down, fulfilling the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's longtime goal of achieving a "non-nuclear homeland."

Since late last year, however, Taiwan has begun taking steps toward restarting both the No. 2 and No. 3 plants, amid rising electricity demand and Taiwan's heavy reliance on imported energy.