Anti-nuclear activists yesterday urged a complete halt to the ongoing construction of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant for the next four months -- the time members of the incoming Cabinet have said it would take to reassess the project.
To attract the attention of the new Cabinet during the crucial period before it assumes power in two weeks, members of several environmental groups yesterday promoted the benefits of several alternatives to nuclear power to help relieve anticipated shortages in the supply of electric power.
The environmentalists, who are mostly researchers in physics, mechanics and economics, suggested transforming the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant into a methanol plant (甲醇電廠), which has been used in many other countries for decades for its low cost and improved safety.
"The cost of a methanol plant is similar to that of a liquified natural gas (LNG) facility," said Lee Chieh-mu (
"In addition, transporting and storing the chemical materials is even safer than LNG," Lin said.
Activists highlighted the advantages of methanol plants as a means to persuade the new government to adopt alternatives, and said Taiwan Power Corporation (Taipower, 台電) had responded to previous recommendations by claiming alternative fuels such as LNG could be dangerous because of difficulties in transportation and storage.
According to the American Methanol Foundation -- a non-profit scientific organization dedicated to supporting the greater use of methanol as a clean energy resource -- methanol is produced from natural gas, and available production processes could boost power generation efficiency by more than 70 percent.
Environmentalists have welcomed the possibility of using methanol because of its benign effects on the environment. Most plants supplement the raw material with purchased carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Increased levels of carbon dioxide are thought to be partly to blame for the phenomenon of global warming.
While the arguments over nuclear power have focused mostly on potential financial losses and possible electricity shortages if the nuclear facility is canceled, environmentalists said yesterday that a complete reassessment of energy policy should be one of the priorities of the new government.
For the sake of consumers, activists said, LNG is an ideal alternative source of energy that can be used for everything from powering vehicles to air conditioner systems in office buildings.
"If air conditioner systems in the existing 9000 office buildings could be powered by LNG, we wouldn't need the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant at all," said Lin Yang-tai (
Lin added that such schemes have been adopted by Japan for its effectiveness in cutting costs and pollution.
Activists also argued that improving efficiency was a necessary step.
"For example, Taipower should have eliminated some of their turbines powered by coal and diesel," said Lin, who is also a mechanical engineering professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Environmentalists said that the new government should be skeptical about information provided by Taipower when reassessing the controversial project.
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