The reactors in Taiwan’s First Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) have reached the end of its useful life and it has transitioned into the decommissioning stage. In most studies on the environmental impacts of nuclear power plants, the assessment mainly focuses on the operation phase. There are only few assessments or studies on the decommission of nuclear power plants, because merely few sites have been decommissioned globally and the process is time-consuming. Consequently, the impacts associated with decommissioning the facilities remain uncertain. The decommissioning process is complicated and requires high technologies. While being fundamentally an engineering issue, the impacts encompass economic, environmental, and social aspects. Due to these considerations, a suitable decision-making process in the decommission field of the FNPP requires thorough analyses from a life-cycle perspective. In this regard, the implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) is an appropriate methodology. A life cycle assessment on decommissioning of the FNPP was conducted, adhering to ISO 14040/44. It is comprised of four steps: goal and scope definition, Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis, Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), and result interpretation. Primary inventory data was obtained from the FNPP Decommission Plan (DP) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, while the Ecoinvent database was used for model building. The environmental impacts are estimated using the International reference Life Cycle Data system (ILCD). The environmental impact of this study is based on the “Establishment of A Framework to Facilitate Sustainable Investment” (refer to as European Union [EU] taxonomy) by the council of the EU. The assessment results were interpreted, applied, and discussed in compliance with sustainable development. If generated electric energy is used as the functional unit of life cycle assessment during decommissioning stage, the assessment result could be inaccurate. As the result, the amount of post-decommission waste is used in this study as the functional unit of the impact results to evaluate the decommissioning life cycle of the FNPP. The impact assessment is underestimated since the screened buildings and equipment, expanded components, early decommissioning, and differences in reactors are not considered. The study indicates that decommissioning the FNPP includes construction and demolition, which require high electricity and heat demand. CO2 emission in Global Warming Potential (GWP) is the major pollution source in decommissioning tasks, with Marine Aquatic Eco-Toxicity Potential (MAET) and Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) following. Most impacts from decommissioning are due to the building storage of Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW), Dry Storage Facility (DSF), and plant deconstruction.

Life Cycle Assessment on Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plant—A Study on First Nuclear Power Plant

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发表日期：

2025年

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Shu-Mei Chien

摘要

The reactors in Taiwan’s First Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) have reached the end of its useful life and it has transitioned into the decommissioning stage. In most studies on the environmental impacts of nuclear power plants, the assessment mainly focuses on the operation phase. There are only few assessments or studies on the decommission of nuclear power plants, because merely few sites have been decommissioned globally and the process is time-consuming. Consequently, the impacts associated with decommissioning the facilities remain uncertain. The decommissioning process is complicated and requires high technologies. While being fundamentally an engineering issue, the impacts encompass economic, environmental, and social aspects. Due to these considerations, a suitable decision-making process in the decommission field of the FNPP requires thorough analyses from a life-cycle perspective. In this regard, the implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) is an appropriate methodology. A life cycle assessment on decommissioning of the FNPP was conducted, adhering to ISO 14040/44. It is comprised of four steps: goal and scope definition, Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis, Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), and result interpretation. Primary inventory data was obtained from the FNPP Decommission Plan (DP) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, while the Ecoinvent database was used for model building. The environmental impacts are estimated using the International reference Life Cycle Data system (ILCD). The environmental impact of this study is based on the “Establishment of A Framework to Facilitate Sustainable Investment” (refer to as European Union [EU] taxonomy) by the council of the EU. The assessment results were interpreted, applied, and discussed in compliance with sustainable development. If generated electric energy is used as the functional unit of life cycle assessment during decommissioning stage, the assessment result could be inaccurate. As the result, the amount of post-decommission waste is used in this study as the functional unit of the impact results to evaluate the decommissioning life cycle of the FNPP. The impact assessment is underestimated since the screened buildings and equipment, expanded components, early decommissioning, and differences in reactors are not considered. The study indicates that decommissioning the FNPP includes construction and demolition, which require high electricity and heat demand. CO2 emission in Global Warming Potential (GWP) is the major pollution source in decommissioning tasks, with Marine Aquatic Eco-Toxicity Potential (MAET) and Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) following. Most impacts from decommissioning are due to the building storage of Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW), Dry Storage Facility (DSF), and plant deconstruction.