Proposed amendments to the Electricity Act (電業法) would deny funding for the cleanup of nuclear power facilities and fail to liberalize the renewable energy market, environmentalists said yesterday, calling for a review of the legislation to be postponed until concerns are addressed.
“Fundamentally, some provisions aim to unshackle state-run Taiwan Power Co [Taipower] from any responsibility for handling expenses related to the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the handling of nuclear waste,” said Taiwan Environmental Radiation Survey convener Lin Jui-chu (林瑞珠), a veteran anti-nuclear power campaigner, who was joined by a handful of other demonstrators in a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
A comprehensive package of amendments to transform Taipower and partially liberalize energy production is expected to win passage during the ongoing special legislative session.
One of the amendments would allow Taipower to end contributions to the nuclear energy back-end management fund after nuclear plants cease operation, Lin said, adding that the fund was designed to cover expenses associated with the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the management of radioactive waste.
“It is impossible to estimate just how much money will ultimately be needed to fund the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and radioactive waste management,” she said, adding that it was unclear who would be responsible for repaying 90 percent of the fund’s capital borrowed by Taipower.
Under the amendments, the firm’s electricity production and delivery functions would be split between two successor firms, with power production opened to competition from new firms.
“The gap in capital is already huge and there will not be any new money coming in under the amendments, so addressing decommissioning and management will be a huge problem,” Lin said, questioning whether the government would be willing to assume cleanup costs.
Executive Yuan plans call for the establishment of an independent government agency to assume responsibility for nuclear waste management from Taipower.
Provisions in the amendments that would allow for the direct sale of renewable energy fall short, because selling firms would be required to have backup power sources and pay Taipower’s successor for the use of its electricity delivery network, she added.
“The only way for renewable energy firms to have backup capacity is to invest in fuel-burning power generation. Otherwise, they can only produce power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining,” Lin said, adding that amendments for small-scale production would not apply to most renewable energy firms.
“Renewable energy firms will only be able to serve as subcontractors to Taipower, because direct sales to consumers would entail greater costs than selling to Taipower,” she said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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