President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday unveiled his new nuclear energy policy, promising the government would run comprehensive trial operations and meet all safety requirements before beginning operations at the Fourth Nuclear Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and that the 40-year life-span of the three existing nuclear plants would not be extended.
“After commercial operations begin at the Fourth Nuclear Plant, we will examine overall nuclear energy development every four years and consider the consequences, such as restrictions on electricity use, before deciding on whether we should abolish nuclear energy. We are adopting a proactive, practical and responsible approach to the issue,” Ma told a press conference at the Presidential Office.
The two units at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Shihmen District (石門), New Taipei City (新北市), are scheduled to be decommissioned in 2018 and 2019, with the two units at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Wanli District (萬里), New Taipei City, closing in 2021 and 2023, and the two at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Ma-anshan (馬鞍山), Pingtung County, shutting in 2024 and 2025.
Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) said the two reactors at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant would cease operations earlier than scheduled if the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant starts operating by 2016.
The Ma administration’s latest nuclear energy policy does not give an exact timetable for when the government would reach its goal of a nuclear-free homeland.
Ma said the new policy was in line with Article 23 of the Basic Environment Act (環境基本法), which stipulates that the government should make plans to gradually achieve the goal of becoming a nuclear-free country, adding that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s nuclear energy proposal fails to consider all the possible outcomes.
“To reach the goal of a nuclear-free homeland, I won’t chant empty slogans irresponsibly or present an unrealistic ‘ideal’ proposal,” he said.
The government’s nuclear policy was finalized after more than 10 inter-departmental meetings this year and cautious measures would be taken under the principles of no power rationing, maintaining stable electricity prices and the continued reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to meet international goals, he said.
“We have established radiation protection measures for any disasters caused by the leaking of dangerous amount of radioactive material. We would rather sacrifice nuclear energy than risk causing a nuclear crisis,” he said.
In response to concerns about the budget for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, whose commencement date has been repeatedly postponed, Shih said the ministry was calculating the additional time and budget required for improvement work at the plant.
The ministry would announce a commencement date and the exact budget for the additional work early next year, Shih said.
DPP presidential candidate Tsai said Ma’s insistence on retaining the nuclear power program was neglecting the risk of a nuclear accident and that it would be to the detriment of Taiwan’s policy on sustainable energy.
Ma’s pledge to start commercial operations at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant by 2016 means that Taiwan would not be able to achieve its “nuclear free” goal in the next 30 years, she said.
Tsai said that Ma’s comment that he would rather abandon nuclear power than risk a nuclear disaster was contradictory to his promise to keep the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant because there would not be enough time to “abandon nuclear power” when a disaster occurs.
That was why countries around the world had adjusted their policy on nuclear power after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March.
“Only President Ma is nonchalant about the global trend,” she said.
Tsai warned the Ma administration on the safety concerns at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, noting that several officials had resigned from their posts in the past six months after their suggestion that construction should be suspended was ignored by the government.
Further reliance on nuclear power would also hamper the government’s effort to improve power-generation efficiency and to develop alternative energy sources, Tsai said.
“I have no idea why President Ma has failed to recognize these facts,” she said.
The DPP has presented its “2025 Nuclear-Free Homeland Initiative,” which aims to phase out nuclear power by 2025 by decommissioning the three operating nuclear power plants and shuttering the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant by overhauling the nation’s energy structure and usage in the next 13 years to protect future generations from nuclear disasters, Tsai said.
“If President Ma is committed to nuclear power, then I would say only a change of government would eventually make Taiwan a nuclear-free country,” she said.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS