Tue, Dec 29, 2009 page2

• Nuclear power is key: officials

  'A NECESSITY' Officials said tapping renewable resources like the wind and sun were still a priority, but obstacles include public concerns over noise and aesthetics

  • By Vincent Y. Chao / STAFF REPORTER
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  Renewing nuclear reactors and building the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant are essential to realizing the government’s commitment to cut carbon emissions to 2000 levels by 2025, officials from government agencies and state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) said yesterday.

  Officials said that while the development of sustainable energy including wind turbines and solar power plants was still a priority, there were numerous roadblocks, including a lack of open space, public concerns over noise and aesthetics and providing a stable supply of power in case of natural disasters.

  Instead, the government needs to increase the share of power produced by nuclear reactors if the nation’s reliance on coal-fired power plants is to drop, officials said.

  Last year, nuclear power accounted for 19.6 percent of total power generation, while coal-fired plants were responsible for 76.2 percent.

  These suggestions are a departure from policies introduced under the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), which committed to phase out the nation’s three nuclear power plants and suspend plans for the fourth.

  “Lots of countries around the world are rethinking their nuclear policies in the face of global warming ... Taiwan needs to do the same,” said Wang Yunn-ming (王運銘), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Energy. “Nuclear power is a necessity if emissions reduction targets are to be reached.”

  But Wang said that any government initiatives would have to have public approval and that his department, along with the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), would step up campaigns to show the public that nuclear power is safe and necessary.

  An opinion poll released yesterday found that residents in the greater Taipei area — where nuclear plants Nos. 1 and 2 are located, overwhelmingly want to see nuclear power replaced by renewable alternatives.

  The poll, conducted by Shih Hsin University, found that 69.9 percent of respondents preferred developing solar and wind power to nuclear power. Support for the nuclear power program remained roughly consistent with previous surveys at 49.1 percent in favor and 33.4 percent opposed.

  Lawmakers said the poll, commissioned by the AEC, was an indication that the public is divided on the matter of nuclear power. They asked officials to gather more information before making decisions.

  “If nuclear energy is to become a viable alternative to [coal-based] sources, public concerns over safety must first be resolved by the AEC,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said.

  The poll found that about 37 percent of Taipei area residents were concerned about nuclear safety.

  However, Hung said that if the government did not soon offer alternatives to heavily polluting coal-fired plants, the nation could fall behind other industrialized countries in terms of emissions cuts and have sanctions imposed on its exports.

  Representatives from Taipower said that while the company was trying to introduce initiatives for sustainable development, the nation’s high population density and frequent typhoons and other natural disasters made it more difficult than in countries like Germany and Denmark, which have a high percentage of sustainable power.

  The director of the company’s public services department, Hsiao Jin-yi (蕭金益), cited consumer concerns over power prices and said prices could spike if the company emphasized solar and wind power.

  Average prices for power are currently NT$2.6 per kilowatt-hour, one of the lowest among industrialized nations.

  But Yang Chao-yueh (楊肇岳), an oceanography professor from National Taiwan University, blasted the government position as “flawed” and said there was no real political will to invest in renewable energy.

  “There are multiple pressing issues that have been disregarded by officials ... including the safe disposal of nuclear waste, the ballooning costs of nuclear reactors and the fact that documented research shows that nuclear supplies will only last another 40 years at most,” Yang said.
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