Taiwan’s annual nuclear emergency exercise will take place on Thursday and Friday at the First Nuclear Power Plant in Shihmen District, New Taipei, and its surrounding areas, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said Monday.

The drill will simulate the emergency response of the plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned, in the event of an earthquake and volcanic eruption while the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, the AEC said in a statement.

The drill will involve staff members at the plant, as well as AEC officials, police, military officers, the National Airborne Service Corps and Tri-Service General Hospital medical workers, the AEC said.

On Thursday, the drill will be confined to the nuclear plant itself, and focus on how staff members can minimize the impact of volcanic ash on the plant’s equipment, according to the AEC.

The second day of the exercise on Friday will be larger in scale, involving simulations of providing medical assistance to people exposed to radiation, monitoring environmental radiation, and evacuating residents in the area, including those in quarantine due to COVID-19-related measures, the AEC said.

The drill will also involve testing the country’s emergency notification system, including by sending text message alerts to residents in New Taipei’s Jinshan, Shihmen and Sanzhi districts at around 10 a.m. on Friday morning, the AEC said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel