Contradicting his previous pledge that the proposed referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) would not be held until the plant’s operational safety could be guaranteed, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday said he was not sure about the matter.
Jiang said he was unable to say with absolute certainty that the referendum would only be held once the facility passes a safety inspection because it is impossible to know how long a safety check would take, as they do not have a predetermined duration. In addition, the Central Election Commission, not the Cabinet, has the mandate to set the referendum date, he said.
Jiang made the remarks in response to media queries after he made a tour of the power plant yesterday and listened to a briefing on the safety inspection plan.
Photo: CNA
Jiang has reiterated on several occasions that it would not be necessary to stage a referendum if safe operation of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant remains a concern because in that case the government would not issue an operating license once it is completed and therefore it could not operate.
The change in Jiang’s position came after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in a recent interview with the Chinese-language Apple Daily that the safety inspection and referendum should not be linked.
During the visit, representatives of Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), the plant’s operator, sought to reassure Jiang and reporters that the Gongliao plant would be better able to withstand natural disasters than Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant — which experienced a meltdown after the March 11, 2011, tsunami and earthquake — in seven aspects.
Among those was a 48,000-tonne fresh water tank, which the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant was not equipped with, that would hold enough water to cool the rectors for three days in an emergency scenario, Taipower said.
The Fourth Nuclear Power Plant also has two backup power sources in case of power outages, which the Japanese plant did not, it said.
Plant deputy general manager Lin Rong-yi (林榮宜), who has worked at power plants for 30 years, said he was unhappy that the plant’s design and construction had been labeled as “patchwork.”
“For those of us who specialize in nuclear technology, it’s called technology integration,” Lin said.
Any high-tech product, such as a nuclear power plant, is a synthesis of advanced technologies; even a smartphone is composed of components manufactured by many different firms, Lin said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS