Review nixes nuke plant

The committee formed to review the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) finished its work yesterday, voting 9-6 to halt construction of the controversial plant.

But Premier Tang Fei (唐飛)earlier yesterday told the legislature that he night not take no for an answer.

If the committee gave the plant the thumbs down, the Cabinet would bring in its own experts to review and perhaps overturn the verdict, Tang said during questioning.

If the committee wanted to continue construction of the plant, the Cabinet would act on its advice, Tang said. If, on the other hand, the committee recommended halting construction, the government might continue the evaluation using experts other than those serving on the committee.

"If the committee's consensus is to continue construction, the Cabinet will act on it. However, if the consensus is to halt the project, an alternative solution will have to be presented," Tang said, adding that the advice of experts outside the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant Re-evaluation Committee (核四再評估委員會) would be sought.

Tang told People First Party legislators Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) and Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) that more evaluation of the project was needed to assess the economic impact of halting it.

Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) said yesterday that members of the evaluation committee had not reached a consensus last night on the plant's future.

"The ministry has asked members of the committee to summarize their conclusions in 600 characters," Lin said. "We will then publish them so that the public has a better understanding of this issue."

Lin said that an alternative energy project would be prepared, no matter what the outcome of the committee's decision was.

Tang said that scrapping the power plant would lead to political and legal complications, in which the Cabinet and the DPP's legislative caucus -- which currently is a minority in the legislature -- would be required to overturn laws that have been passed to support the project.

Chou and Liu urged Tang to finalize his decision within one month. But the premier has previously said he would need two months to conduct another round of evaluations.

Political observers said it appeared that anti-nuclear forces have succeeded in stopping the energy plant, as the Cabinet has postponed making a decision until the end of the year.

That timing would give the Cabinet leverage in persuading the legislature not to veto the decision.

In addition, political watchers said, delaying the decision until the end of the year would clear the way for debate on the 2001 budget, which is scheduled to be reviewed during the present legislative term. By putting off the decision on the plant until after budget debates conclude, the Cabinet deprives opposition parties the opportunity of using the budget issue as a bargaining chip.

Opposition parties lashed out at the government yesterday for delaying the release of the evaluation report.

"Yearly growth for electricity consumption is 6 percent. If the plant is scrapped, there will be a negative impact on economic development," KMT Legislator Ho Jyh-huei (何智輝) said. "If the new government decides to discontinue the project, they should forward their revisions of laws to the legislature."

PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安) said the DPP has been employing its political power to interfere with professional judgment. "I strongly urge DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) to withdraw his political threats," Lee said.