Controversy over new nuclear power plant continues

Although new Premier Chang Chung-hsiung (張俊雄) has not made clear his stance on the future of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四廠), debate about the issue continued unabated nationwide yesterday.

DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that in his opinion Chang would likely adhere to the party's platform, which opposes nuclear energy.

Industry representatives, meanwhile, reiterated their support for continuing the project.

"No matter what the stance of the new premier, the project should be continued because the plant is an index of investors' confidence in the government's ability to stabilize the political situation and the stock market," said Chen Wen-yuan (陳文源), chairman of the Kaohsiung Chamber of Industry (高雄市工業會).

Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), minister of economic affairs, told the Executive Yuan on Saturday construction on the plant should cease, causing many investors to lose confidence in the DPP-led government.

Stockmarket investors and businessmen had regarded outgoing premier Tang Fei (唐飛) as the political figure most likely to save the power plant.

Anti-nuclear activists at the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union canceled a meeting scheduled for yesterday morning, in which they were to visit Tang in order to persuade him to abandon nuclear energy.

Pan Han-chiang (潘翰疆), the union's deputy secretary-general, said he regretted Tang's resignation.

"We hope the new premier can reform the existing improper energy policy in order to bring us closer to sustainable development in Taiwan," Pan said.

Residents in Kungliao township, where the plant is located, said they did not want to push the new premier into taking a stand against the project because of what they described as "abnormal pressure" put on anti-nuclear activists.

A confidential source said recent political turbulence and a decline in the stock market had put the anti-nculear movement in a bad light.