The United States has agreed to offer Taiwan assistance in case of emergency at Taiwan nuclear power plants, an official said Saturday, reported dpa.
Shieh Der-jhy, deputy director of the Atomic Energy Council, said he will leave for the US on Sunday to sign a statement of intent on nuclear safety cooperation with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is under the Department of Energy.
Under the agreement, NNSA would send personnel and equipments to Taiwan in case of nuclear power plant accidents, he told the Central News Agency (CNA).
NNSA would also conduct training courses on nuclear safety control and accident prevention for personnel sent by Taiwan.
Taiwan operates six nuclear reactors in three power plants and plans to bulid the fourth power plant.
Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations or a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it signed an agreement with US on peaceful use of atomic energy in 1955, to allow the US to make nuclear safeguards inspection of Taiwan nuclear facilities.
After international nuclear safeguards inspection mechanism was established within IAEA, Taiwan signed the IAEA-Taiwan-US trilateral safeguards agreements in 1964, transferring the responsibility of safeguarding nuclear material from the US to IAEA.