The issue of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant is about more than a controversy over nuclear power, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said yesterday, stressing that it should be considered within the bigger picture of the nation’s heavy dependence on imported energy.
Jiang said yesterday at the legislature’s floor meeting that focusing only on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) is “[inappropriately] narrowing the problem,” since more than 90 percent of Taiwan’s energy has to be imported.
In this context, a post-safety-check Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, along with the three operational nuclear power plants, will play a crucial role in supplying the nation with the energy it needs, he added.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“Many people have concerns or fears about nuclear power. A nuclear-free [nation] might be our long-term, eventual goal, but as we already have three nuclear power plants in operation, it will not be possible to achieve that goal in a single leap,” Jiang said.
“We have to face the problem of where to get the needed energy [if nuclear power is no longer the generator of our electricity]. We also have to face the [dilemma] of environmental protection, since we would have to acquire electricity through burning coal or using natural gas, which would lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Compared with nuclear power’s safety concerns, global warming is a more imminent challenge,” he added.
Jiang said that coal-generated power, natural gas and renewable energy have also raised objections, “such as alternative energy-source wind turbines, which have been opposed for the noise they make and ruining the landscape.”
He was referring to the Yuanli Self-Help Group, which has been protesting against a wind turbine project in Miaoli County’s Yuanli Township (苑裡), prompted by the government reaching a unilateral decision with German wind-power company InfraVest Wind Power Group without consulting the residents, and a law that sets the minimum distance between wind turbines and habitation at 250m, which is shorter than a range of between 400m and 1,500m maintained in countries such as Denmark and Germany.
In another round of protests staged by Yuanli residents on Wednesday last week, a protester said “the group welcomes the government promoting alternative, clean sources of energy, but it should develop a mechanism for local residents to participate in projects and not stand on the side of large enterprises.”
Jiang said that anyone who opposes nuclear power “has the responsibility of tabling an alternative energy development policy for the nation.”
On a potential referendum to decide whether to activate the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant by inserting the fuel rods, Jiang said the position of the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office is nothing but “completing safety checks first before any possibility of a referendum.”
“But that does not mean once the safety check has been conducted by the Atomic Energy Council, a referendum automatically ensues,” the premier said, adding that the safety check report would be made public and discussed in the Legislature before any further discussion of a referendum.
The meaning of a referendum, Jiang said, is to have the people decide, “while well aware of the consequences, such as higher electricity tariffs and possible rationing of electricity, which suspension of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant might instigate,” whether they want to shoulder those burdens.
Responding to former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) hunger strike, Jiang said he does not want to see Lin suffer, and that in a democratic society “there are [other] ways, in accordance with democratic procedures, to express one’s opinion.”
Lin’s wording [of accusing the government of murdering him should anything unfortunate happen], “implying that those in power should bow to his urge or be a murderer, is extreme,” Jiang said. “We will leave it to the judgement of the public.”
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show
RSS