To show the public that our nuclear plant is prepared against tsunami, Taipower has demonstrated the function of the floodgates at the First Nuclear Plant in Shihmen to the media earlier this week, which is said to be able to resist tsunami that's up to 10 meters high.

However, it takes as long as 30 minutes to close, which has drawn concern over Taipower's ability to protect the nuclear plant. In response, President Ma Ying-jeou has instructed to keep the floodgate shut at all times to prevent potential damages.

Strong currents in this ocean are on 3 sides and each are two layers thick with iron which is an anti-tsunami gate.

At the top are concrete walls to prevent the crisis from becoming critical.

However, it takes 30 minutes to drop this gate, and an engineer has to manually adjust it.

If the tsunami comes, the reaction time is hardly enough.

In operation for 33 years, this gate has yet to be used in three decades.

Taipower said that construction of the fourth nuclear power plant has included a fortified gate against tsunamis. And given the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, it is a valuable experience that will lead to a comprehensive review of the weaknesses and reinforcement.

For example, the speed of this gate could be faster.

Taipower stressed that the floor of the nuclear plant is 12 meters above sea level, and coupled with a 12-meter high wall, and being 500 meters away from the sea, they are very confident about the ability to resist a tsunami.

However, the Japanese nuclear power plant's inability to defend against the tsunami has led to huge losses.

For this reason, the 4th nuclear power plant should take special measures to put everyone at ease.