Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that if she was elected president in January, her administration would work to enshrine into law a plan seeking to decommission Taiwan’s nuclear industry.
The 2025 nuclear-free homeland proposal — the first major policy initiative unveiled by Tsai since she announced her presidential bid — would halt operations at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and would not renew licenses for the other three nuclear plants pending the development of other energy sources.
Drawing a direct line to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan, Tsai yesterday said nuclear power “has led to many concerns,” especially given the proximity of two of the older nuclear plants — Jinshan and Guosheng nuclear power plants — to Taipei and New Taipei City (新北市).
“The Japanese government has already asked the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, which is located 200km from the capital, to cease operations. Meanwhile our -government doesn’t seem concerned about the proximity of Taipei to nuclear power plants,” she said.
Tsai said she would ask the DPP’s legislative caucus to make plans to enshrine the nuclear-free homeland proposal into law if the party regained power next year.
“We hope this would force the government to act and carry it out after it becomes law,” Tsai told a crowd in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), a seaside town where the fourth nuclear plant is under construction.
Critics of the project, which includes the DPP under Tsai, say the power plant is unnecessary and that nuclear regulators have failed to crack down on numerous design flaws and construction errors.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration says the plant will help meet Taiwan’s greenhouse emissions reduction targets.
Tsai has said the reductions could be offset by large investments in renewable energy sources, including wind and solar.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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