Legislators rejected the Atomic Energy Council's (AEC) budget late yesterday evening after it listed items which included funds for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant which the Executive Yuan decided to scrap in October.
In the budget proposal document presented by the AEC yesterday, about NT$12 million was marked for the nuclear power plant. Legislators from the Sci-tech Information Committee rejected the budget with a vote of 9 to 5.
"If the plant is to be cancelled, why do you ask for money?" KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shin (
Hsia argued, however, that the legal basis for the plant had not changed.
"The future of the plant is dependent on a decision by the Council of Grand Justices," he said.
The legitimacy of canceling the plant has been disputed since Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) announced the decision in October. Under pressure from opposition parties, the Executive Yuan has appealed to the Council of Grand Justices to judge the constitutionality of the decision it made.
The first meeting of the Council to discuss the issue is scheduled for Dec. 21.
According to the AEC's budget, NT$8.54 million was set aside for developing regulatory technology to ensure the safety of two advanced boiling water reactors. The two reactors were to be installed at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. An additional NT$3.3 million was proposed for regulating the safety of the plant during the process of its construction.
Hsia said he did not mind if the budget for the plant was cut, but added that if the government later decided to continue with the project, additional requests for funds might be necessary.
Meanwhile, Hsia admitted yesterday that the Executive Yuan had recently requested help from the AEC to rewrite the document it originally used to announce the plant's cancellation in late October.
The announcement and the reasons it listed for the plant's cancellation were criticized recently by 37 nuclear engineering professors from National Tsing Hua University.
Professors at Tsing Hua University, where nuclear energy research in Taiwan was initiated, said that the reasons were "unprofessional."
Hsia said yesterday that the AEC had refused to work with the Cabinet on the document.
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