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Dry Storage Project
Last Update: Jul 29, 2026
Foreword
Periodically, about one-third of the nuclear fuel in an operating reactor needs to be unloaded and replaced with fresh fuel. Nuclear power plants must temporarily store this unloaded fuel, known as "spent fuel", in a water pool beside the reactor. Due to the limited capacity of the original design, most of the spent fuel pools at nuclear power plants in Taiwan are almost full. Taiwan Power Company (TPC) has therefore begun looking at options to increase spent fuel storage capacity. The preferred option for increasing capacity is to store spent fuel in a dry storage facility, called an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). Such storage may be either at the reactor site or elsewhere. Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in on-site dry storage by licensees to provide additional capacity for storing spent fuel.
Dry storage allows spent fuel to be stored for a certain period, surrounded by inert gas inside a canister, typically a steel cylinder welded closed. The steel canister provides a leak-tight containment for the spent fuel. Each canister is encased in additional steel, concrete, or other material, providing radiation shielding for workers and the public.
Features of dry storage
The spent fuel is cooled in the spent fuel pool for a certain time before being transferred to dry storage casks. The spent fuel becomes cooler over time while it is stored in the dry storage facility.
Dry storage of spent fuel has many advantages, such as easy maintenance, low operational cost, low corrosion, low probability of radioactive release, and no generation of secondary waste. Additionally, dry storage casks are designed to resist floods, tornadoes, projectiles, temperature extremes, and other unusual events. Therefore, dry storage has become the most acceptable option in many countries for management of spent fuel prior to final disposal.
Regulating the Dry Storage Program
A dry storage facility is licensed in two steps: Construction License (based on the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report, PSAR) and Operating License (based on the Final Safety Analysis Report, FSAR). According to Article 17 of the Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Management Act (NMRWMA), the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) must verify that the following four conditions are met before issuing the Construction License:
(1) The construction is consistent with the prescription of the relevant international conventions. The application documents shall meet the requirements of the IAEA Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (1997).
(2) The equipment and the facilities are sufficient to secure public health and safety. The PSAR review shall verify that provisions for public health and safety are adequate.
(3) The impact on the environment shall comply with all relevant laws, statutes and decrees.
(4) The technology, the management ability, and the financial guarantee of the applicant shall be sufficient to operate the facilities. TPC shall submit the financial guarantee report for ISFSI construction, operation, storage, and decommissioning. The Back End Management Foundation shall provide the letter of guarantee for funding of this project.
Construction and pre-operation:
Even after the completion of facility construction, the facility may not be operated until NSC has inspected the construction engineering, approved its pre-operational tests and issued an Operating License. During the construction and operation of a dry storage facility, NSC may inspect the facility at any time, and may ask the operator to submit relevant documents.
Chinshan NPP Outdoor Dry Storage Facility
In March 2007, the NSC received TPC's application for a construction license for the outdoor dry storage facility at the Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant (Chinshan NPP). The facility utilizes the INER-HPS cask system, developed by the National Atomic Research Institute (NARI) via technology transfer from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved NAC-UMS system.
Following a review confirming compliance with safety requirements, the construction license for the dry storage facility was issued in December 2008. After construction inspections and functional tests of the Chinshan NPP outdoor dry storage facility, the NSC approved the execution of the hot test. TPC subsequently completed the fuel loading, transport, and storage operations for two storage casks on December 18, 2024. TPC then submitted an application for the facility's operating license.
Following a review by the NSC verifying compliance with relevant laws and safety regulations, the operating license was issued on May 1, 2025. The Chinshan NPP outdoor dry storage facility has officially commenced operations, and TPC is progressively carrying out spent nuclear fuel (SNF) loading, transport, and storage operations.
As of July 2026, the transport and storage of 14 storage casks have been completed, and the reactor cores of Units 1 and 2 have been completely defueled. The NSC will strictly conduct operational safety inspections to ensure the safety of the dry storage facility's transport and storage operations.
Kuosheng NPP Outdoor Dry Storage Facility
In March 2012, the NSC received TPC's application for a construction license for the Kuosheng NPP outdoor dry storage facility. The facility utilizes the NAC-MAGNASTOR system approved by the U.S. NRC. Following a review confirming compliance with safety requirements, the NSC issued the construction license for the dry storage facility in August 2015. Subsequently, TPC obtained approval from the New Taipei City Government for the soil and water conservation plan on August 14, 2024. Furthermore, the NSC approved the pre-operational testing plan in March 2026. The NSC regularly dispatches inspectors to conduct safety inspections and oversee the quality of TPC's operations.
Indoor Dry Storage Facilities for Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan NPPs
TPC has completed the bidding and procurement process for the "Indoor Dry Storage Facilities for Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan NPPs." It is currently preparing the facility designs and construction license application documents, which will be submitted to the NSC once finalized.
The NSC has established the Guidelines on the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the Application of Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facility and the Review Guidelines for the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facilities. These Guidelines specify the relevant safety criteria to serve as references for TPC in preparing its construction license applications.
The NSC continues to actively monitor the progress of the indoor dry storage facility construction projects across the three power plants. By holding regular safety regulatory meetings, the NSC engages in early-stage communication and discussions with TPC regarding safety and technical issues related to the facility designs, thereby ensuring thorough preparation for the subsequent construction license safety reviews.
Periodically, about one-third of the nuclear fuel in an operating reactor needs to be unloaded and replaced with fresh fuel. Nuclear power plants must temporarily store this unloaded fuel, known as "spent fuel", in a water pool beside the reactor. Due to the limited capacity of the original design, most of the spent fuel pools at nuclear power plants in Taiwan are almost full. Taiwan Power Company (TPC) has therefore begun looking at options to increase spent fuel storage capacity. The preferred option for increasing capacity is to store spent fuel in a dry storage facility, called an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). Such storage may be either at the reactor site or elsewhere. Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in on-site dry storage by licensees to provide additional capacity for storing spent fuel.
Dry storage allows spent fuel to be stored for a certain period, surrounded by inert gas inside a canister, typically a steel cylinder welded closed. The steel canister provides a leak-tight containment for the spent fuel. Each canister is encased in additional steel, concrete, or other material, providing radiation shielding for workers and the public.
Features of dry storage
The spent fuel is cooled in the spent fuel pool for a certain time before being transferred to dry storage casks. The spent fuel becomes cooler over time while it is stored in the dry storage facility.
Dry storage of spent fuel has many advantages, such as easy maintenance, low operational cost, low corrosion, low probability of radioactive release, and no generation of secondary waste. Additionally, dry storage casks are designed to resist floods, tornadoes, projectiles, temperature extremes, and other unusual events. Therefore, dry storage has become the most acceptable option in many countries for management of spent fuel prior to final disposal.
Regulating the Dry Storage Program
A dry storage facility is licensed in two steps: Construction License (based on the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report, PSAR) and Operating License (based on the Final Safety Analysis Report, FSAR). According to Article 17 of the Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Management Act (NMRWMA), the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) must verify that the following four conditions are met before issuing the Construction License:
(1) The construction is consistent with the prescription of the relevant international conventions. The application documents shall meet the requirements of the IAEA Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (1997).
(2) The equipment and the facilities are sufficient to secure public health and safety. The PSAR review shall verify that provisions for public health and safety are adequate.
(3) The impact on the environment shall comply with all relevant laws, statutes and decrees.
(4) The technology, the management ability, and the financial guarantee of the applicant shall be sufficient to operate the facilities. TPC shall submit the financial guarantee report for ISFSI construction, operation, storage, and decommissioning. The Back End Management Foundation shall provide the letter of guarantee for funding of this project.
Construction and pre-operation:
Even after the completion of facility construction, the facility may not be operated until NSC has inspected the construction engineering, approved its pre-operational tests and issued an Operating License. During the construction and operation of a dry storage facility, NSC may inspect the facility at any time, and may ask the operator to submit relevant documents.
Chinshan NPP Outdoor Dry Storage Facility
In March 2007, the NSC received TPC's application for a construction license for the outdoor dry storage facility at the Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant (Chinshan NPP). The facility utilizes the INER-HPS cask system, developed by the National Atomic Research Institute (NARI) via technology transfer from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved NAC-UMS system.
Following a review confirming compliance with safety requirements, the construction license for the dry storage facility was issued in December 2008. After construction inspections and functional tests of the Chinshan NPP outdoor dry storage facility, the NSC approved the execution of the hot test. TPC subsequently completed the fuel loading, transport, and storage operations for two storage casks on December 18, 2024. TPC then submitted an application for the facility's operating license.
Following a review by the NSC verifying compliance with relevant laws and safety regulations, the operating license was issued on May 1, 2025. The Chinshan NPP outdoor dry storage facility has officially commenced operations, and TPC is progressively carrying out spent nuclear fuel (SNF) loading, transport, and storage operations.
As of July 2026, the transport and storage of 14 storage casks have been completed, and the reactor cores of Units 1 and 2 have been completely defueled. The NSC will strictly conduct operational safety inspections to ensure the safety of the dry storage facility's transport and storage operations.
Kuosheng NPP Outdoor Dry Storage Facility
In March 2012, the NSC received TPC's application for a construction license for the Kuosheng NPP outdoor dry storage facility. The facility utilizes the NAC-MAGNASTOR system approved by the U.S. NRC. Following a review confirming compliance with safety requirements, the NSC issued the construction license for the dry storage facility in August 2015. Subsequently, TPC obtained approval from the New Taipei City Government for the soil and water conservation plan on August 14, 2024. Furthermore, the NSC approved the pre-operational testing plan in March 2026. The NSC regularly dispatches inspectors to conduct safety inspections and oversee the quality of TPC's operations.
Indoor Dry Storage Facilities for Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan NPPs
TPC has completed the bidding and procurement process for the "Indoor Dry Storage Facilities for Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan NPPs." It is currently preparing the facility designs and construction license application documents, which will be submitted to the NSC once finalized.
The NSC has established the Guidelines on the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the Application of Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facility and the Review Guidelines for the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facilities. These Guidelines specify the relevant safety criteria to serve as references for TPC in preparing its construction license applications.
The NSC continues to actively monitor the progress of the indoor dry storage facility construction projects across the three power plants. By holding regular safety regulatory meetings, the NSC engages in early-stage communication and discussions with TPC regarding safety and technical issues related to the facility designs, thereby ensuring thorough preparation for the subsequent construction license safety reviews.
