AIT again denies nuclear meddling

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday reiterated its statement that the US wants no role in Taiwan's decision to continue construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四廠).

In addition, Officials from the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said the Council had not been pressured by the US to continue building the plant, stressing that recent technical exchanges with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) were irrelevant to the recent debate over the plant's future.

"The major concern for the US is that contract provisions that have been agreed upon are fulfilled in either case, whether the construction of the power plant is continued or is halted," the AIT said in a statement.

The AIT also said that there had been regular exchanges and visits between experts in the US and Taiwan on nuclear energy for years on issues relating to the handling and disposal of nuclear wastes.

"There is no link between the recent visit of a US nuclear waste expert and the construction of the ... nuclear power plant," the statement said.

Local Chinese-language media recently reported unattributed information allegedly from the AEC that NRC officials had "discussed the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant" with officials from the AEC at the end of September, during the last visit by NRC officials to Taiwan.

"There has been no expression of concern [from America over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant] because visits [paid by the NRC] were scheduled up to one and a half years ago," AEC vice chairman Ouyang Min-shen (歐陽敏盛) said yesterday.

Ou Yang said that the exchanges focused on topics such as nuclear technology and nuclear safety.

US companies holding contracts with Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台電), the company which would operate the plant if construction is completed, also expressed their hope for the project's continuation yesterday.

"It should be built. Nuclear power is clean and safe," said Marc Boothby, representative for the US-based Stone & Webster, during a TV news interview.

"You've got a lot of money invested in it and for a small land area it will produce a lot of energy for the island," Boothby said.

According to Taipower, Stone & Webster won a US$72 million bid in 1996 to serve as consultants on the project. US-based General Electric won a US$1.8 billion contract in 1996 to build the main reactors and supply nuclear fuel.

The AIT also said that the NRC had certified the design of the type of reactor being incorporated into the plant as safe for construction in the US.

Responding to the press release from the AIT, local anti-nuclear activists said that the information released by the AIT might mislead the public to believe that the safety of GE's 1350 megawatt advanced boiling water reactors could be ensured.

"We don't think it's responsible to say things in such a vague way. In fact, this type of nuclear reactor has never been used in any plant in the US," Pan Han-chiang (潘翰疆), vice secretary-general of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, told the Taipei Times.

As the debate on the plant continues, Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya (張博雅) made clear her stance on the project for the plant for the first time yesterday, stating that she was in favor of deciding the future of the plant by a plebiscite.