Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (
But while Lin said his ministry would respect the decision by the Council of Grand Justices, he clarified they had not ruled on his ministry's recommendation.
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"It is not within the justices' jurisdiction to decide whether recommending cancellation of the plant was right or wrong," Lin said.
In a statement issued to the media, Lin said his ministry's advice to cancel the plant was a "professional and conscientious" decision and was made in the "long-term best interests and well being of the nation."
On Sept. 30, Lin delivered the recommendation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which oversees the nation's power supply, to the Cabinet to halt construction of the project, saying other alternative forms of power generation were available to replace the plant.
Lin appeared yesterday at the Control Yuan (
Although the meeting was closed to the media, Lin explained his ministry's actions in the statement, which said the decision had been made in a "professional, objective, open and transparent manner."
"The 18-member Fourth Nuclear Power Plant evaluation committee met 12 times to exchange opinions on the matter," Lin said in the statement. "The discussions were broadcast on TV and on the Internet, setting an example for the public's participation in discussions on national issues," he said.
Lin said the recommendation was based on a belief that "there would be no power deficit until after 2007, there is no safe method for handling nuclear waste and the viability of the alternate power plan."
That plan aims at making up the power shortfall in the north created by axing the plant and focuses mainly on encouraging the development of existing independent power producers.
Lin stressed the plan's workability in a brief meeting with reporters at the Control Yuan, saying the problems delaying commercial operation of Everpower's (
Consultations between Everpower, the central and local governments and residents angry over the plants' construction are approaching a solution, Lin said.
Construction on the Chiahui plant began recently, albeit under heavy police protection to keep away enraged local residents.
Lin added that he would abide by instructions from the Cabinet to appear before the Legislative Yuan and deliver a report on why the plant should be cancelled.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”