Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) yesterday called for the Control Yuan to exercise its power of impeachment and provide a legal basis for construction of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to be stopped.
Cheng issued the call after local media reports yesterday said that the yet-to-be-completed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), has stepped up the pace of preparations to conduct tests.
Cheng added that she received a complaint from one of the workers at the plant, who said that Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), which operates the nation’s nuclear plants, has been calling on employees to be ready for 24-hour shifts to test various equipment in the plant.
Cheng alleged that Taipower was treating the workers like “a kamikaze team” to put the nuclear fuel rods in place and start the plant’s commercial operations.
“However, as the plant’s construction process could not persuade the public that it is safe, starting the plant will not be safe either,” she added.
Saying that Taipower has been censured by the Control Yuan no less than 10 times over the two decades of the plant’s construction, Cheng lambasted the company and said that “no large public construction has been so determined to get finished after being censured so many times.”
Cheng called on Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊) to act and use the Control Yuan’s power to impeach government officials as a legal basis for halting the plant’s construction.
In response, Taipower chief nuclear energy engineer Chai Fu-feng (蔡富豐) said yesterday that the nuclear power plant has now progressed to the phase where all systems are undergoing testing.
“We need to simulate actual circumstances in the tests to see whether the system is able to run for a long time, particularly the diesel power generators,” Chai said, adding that this was the reason for the company conducting 16-hour and 24-hour tests.
Some of the ongoing construction has been stopped to accommodate the trial runs, Chai said, adding that this was a normal procedure.
The quality of the construction will not be affected by the trial runs, Chai added.
Taipower yesterday also issued a statement, saying that prior to installing any fuel rods, the company would invite the World Association of Nuclear Operators to send a team of experts to evaluate the plant before it would be started up for commercial operations.
The Atomic Energy Council has also stated its intention of inviting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent regulatory agency under the US government, to assist in the joint review process before fuel rod installation, the statement said.
It added that the council is responsible for ensuring that the plant meets all legal requirements and is safe to run before giving the green light for the installation of fuel rods.
Additional reporting by Lin Yi-chang
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source