Proponents of nuclear power on Saturday initiated a referendum petition drive seeking to abolish the “nuclear-free homeland by 2025” policy stipulated in the Electricity Act (電業法).
“The petition asks respondents: ‘Do you agree to abolish Article 95-1 of the act that stipulates all nuclear power facilities should cease operations before 2025?’” National Tsing Hua University engineering professor and Chung-Hwa Nuclear Society member Lee Min (李敏) wrote on Facebook.
The nation should continue using nuclear power to support its fledgling development of “green” energy, the petition said.
The government, with its goal of generating half the nation’s electricity from natural gas, 30 percent from coal-fired power and 20 percent from renewable sources by 2025, is rushing to natural gas terminals as well as solar and wind power facilities, but it ignores the financial and environmental costs of the hasty policy, Lee said yesterday by telephone.
The Cabinet has said it plans to restart the No. 2 reactor at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里), because it expects a shortage in the nation’s power supplies in June and July, he said.
The public should consider whether the nation should continue using nuclear energy, he said, adding that the decision whether to keep nuclear power plants would be decided after careful evaluation.
Nuclear power can be regarded as a kind of “green” energy, as it has less environmental impact and lower generation costs than coal and gas-fired power, Chinese Society of Medical Physics member and Kyoto University doctoral student Liao Yan-peng (廖彥朋), who launched the petition, said separately yesterday.
Many environmental groups expound on the risks of nuclear power, but they seldom address the casualties caused by accidents at natural gas facilities, Liao said, urging people to discuss nuclear issues with more scientific evidence.
Lee said he initiated the petition with like-minded academics and people working in the energy sector, but added that its discourse is open to change.
While their proposal for a referendum needs to obtain the approval of the Central Election Commission, they hope it can take place along with the local elections on Nov. 24, Lee said.
In related news, Taiwan Power Co is preparing for an environmental impact assessment to decommission the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門), with the operation licenses of its two reactors due to expire on Dec. 5 this year and July 15 next year.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS