Questioning Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) pledge to meet the nation’s power demands in two years, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) yesterday said that Lin would not even be the premier two years from now.
In an interview published on Wednesday by the Chinese-
language Economic Daily News, Lin told the state-owned Taiwan Power Co to “just give up” on nuclear power.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The country “just needs to tough it out for the next two years” before new power plants go online to ease the situation, Lin said in the interview.
Offshore wind turbines are expected to generate 4 gigawatts in seven years, Lin said.
The nation was on the brink of power rationing following the collapse of a transmission tower in Yilan County late last month due to Typhoon Nesat, showing the fragility of the nation’s power supply plans, Ko said.
“Are we betting that there will not be another typhoon?” Ko asked.
Moreover, not only has this summer been unseasonably hot, but power shortages had also occurred during winter, she said.
“It is easy for Lin to say we are going to tough it out. Can he be more specific on how we are going to do that? If we are not able to tough it out, what would be the repercussions? Does the government have any backup plan?” Ko asked.
Lin has said the offshore wind farms would be able to generate 3.5GW by 2025 to replace two nuclear power plants, Ko said.
That is higher than the Bureau of Energy’s earlier estimate of 3GW, which experts have said would be difficult to achieve, Ko said.
Renewable energy sources do not provide stable power supply and could be sporadic through the seasons, making them a poor direct substitute for nuclear or coal-fired power plants, she said.
Offshore wind farms face other factors and uncertainties, such as maritime engineering, environmental impact, the fishing industry, typhoons and earthquakes, harbors and maritime navigation, she said.
Taiwan also lacks the required core technologies and its reliance on non-Chinese contractors — a requirement imposed due to political considerations — has further driven up costs, Ko said.
Lin should be transparent about how much money the public will have to shell out to complete the wind power program, she said.
“If Lin wants to play hardball, he should sign a guarantee that there will be no power shortages after we tough it out in the next two years. Two years from now, Lin will not even be the premier. Where will we find the person responsible for this?” she asked.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS