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.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in