Tang favors nuke plant

Premier Tang Fei (唐飛) said yesterday he supports the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) project and would consider resigning if construction did not go ahead.

Tang's view clashes with the official stance of the DPP and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who has said he is against the project.

Tang made his comments in the legislative chamber yesterday morning when responding to New Party legislators Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌).

He said safety at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant was 10 times higher than the existing first nuclear power plant. "So, I continue to support the ongoing construction project," Tang said.

The KMT premier said he was aware that it was Chen's and the ruling DPP's aim to scrap the construction project. If the final decision is to scrap the project, Tang said he would quit.

He cautioned, however, that a final decision would take time.

"The committee's recommendation is not the only yardstick for the Executive Yuan's final decision [over the issue]. We should look on the result as a mix of factors, involving the public and DPP," Tang said.

The Fourth Nuclear Power Plant Re-evaluation Committee (核四再評估委員會) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which was set up soon after Chen's inauguration to evaluate the feasibility of the project, finished its work last week, voting nine to six in favor of stopping construction of the plant.

Tang said last week that if the committee decided to give the plant the thumbs down, the Cabinet would invite another group of experts to review the project and reserved the right to overturn the committee's verdict.

The premier also said the new round of evaluation would take another two months to complete.

After more than a decade of disputes and protests from environmental groups, Taiwan's Atomic Energy Council issued permits for construction of the plant in March 1999 -- five years after the Legislative Yuan passed a budget for the long-delayed plant.

But the fate of the project in Kungliao township, Taipei County, had been in the balance since Chen -- who had pledged to scrap the project during his election campaign -- won the presidential race in March.

Responding to Tang's statement about resigning, Eugene Chien (簡又新), deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office, repeated what the president said in a press conference last week.

"The president expressed his support for scrapping the project, but stressed that it was only his personal view, as well as that of the DPP, over the issue," Chien said.

The DPP included an anti-nuclear power energy platform in its election pledges.

Analysts said the Cabinet's vacillation on the issue -- probably until the end of this year -- cleared the way for a debate on next year's financial budget, which is to be reviewed during the current legislative session.

Putting off the decision until the budget debates are over could allow the KMT and New Party opposition to negotiate a budget to their liking in return for scrapping the power plant.