The crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has raised many questions in the international community about the development of nuclear energy. Not long ago, Taiwanese media reported that the Atomic Energy Council might heavily fine the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant for changes to the design of the plant’s construction and that the council might seek to bring high-level plant officials to justice. This news caused much public concern.
Over the past two years, I have studied the mechanisms for public communication about the nation’s nuclear safety and I have discovered three nontechnical problems.
First, there is no space for dialogue about nuclear safety. Almost all nuclear technology experts claim nuclear energy is safe, while almost all nuclear safety and environmental protection activists claim the opposite.
So, is nuclear energy safe?
Since I am not a nuclear expert, I am unable to comment on the technical aspects, but many people — including media outlets without technical nuclear expertise and residents living close to the nation’s nuclear power plants — seem to feel that it is not safe. Whether or not Taiwan will build more nuclear power plants in future, the nation should at least take the opportunity to build a public communication mechanism about the three current nuclear power plants. I believe there is still room for improvement in the public communication system and space for dialogue about nuclear power plants.
Second, information about the nuclear industry is not sufficiently transparent. The main authorities in charge of nuclear safety information are the council and Taiwan Power Co (Taiwpower), which is in charge of operating nuclear power plants. An analysis of their Web sites shows that safety information on the council’s Web site is quite clear.
However, on Taipower’s Web site, such information is either insufficient or absent. This makes it is difficult for the public to understand the characteristics of the nation’s nuclear power plants, their operations and the level of safety. It is only natural that this leads to fear and mistrust.
Third, the feedback mechanisms for the power plants are flawed. To enable smooth operations, the plants have established a feedback mechanism out of concern for protests among local residents. In theory, the mechanism is intended to promote better communication on the issue of nuclear safety, to build public trust and make local residents feel safer.
The problem is that the feedback mechanism has resulted in a huge amount of funds for compensation, while not a single dollar is being spent on public communication. Another problem is that many local politicians and residents believe the funds are insufficient. This has resulted in the view that the public only wants money and the government only knows how to pay out. This does nothing to help build a public communication mechanism about nuclear safety or promote education on the issue.
The safety of our nuclear power plants is not only a scientific or technical issue, it is also a matter of national policy and public communication. Since global warming, energy conservation and carbon reduction have made nuclear energy an important energy option, many countries are now developing nuclear power.
However, the mechanism for communicating information about nuclear safety is inadequate, and the government and public pay little attention to the three problems highlighted here. Combined with the nuclear crisis in Japan, Taiwan’s nuclear energy policy and the construction, operation and operative extension of our nuclear power plants still face many problems.
Yang Yung-nane is a professor at National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Political Science.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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