"The drill covers a vast area of five kilometers (three miles) surrounding the plant as this year's focus is damage control in the event of radiation leak," said an Atomic Energy Council official.

The exercise was jointly staged on the complex of a nuclear plant in Pingtung by the Atomic Energy Council, Taiwan Power Co, and the county government.

The army sent chemical warfare troops to help combat mock terrorist attacks and the police bomb squad was called in to remove devices from the power generators, the official said.

Coast Guard Administration officers were mobilized to search for purported Chinese agents hiding in the nuclear plant facility.

"The seaside power plant is an obvious target for the stowaways who are either trying to find a hideout or perhaps trying to do some damage to the facilities," the official said.

The annual nuclear safety drill, currently on its second day, will end on Friday.

As of 2003, power from Taiwan's three nuclear plants provided 21.5 percent of the island's energy needs.

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