The Atomic Energy Council in a directive on Sunday stipulated that state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) must consult with residents on any plans to build a nuclear waste facility in their neighborhood.
In its search for a nuclear waste disposal site, Taipower should consider “all areas in Taiwan, including the outlying islands,” and should not limit its options to scarcely populated or uninhabited islands, the council said in a statement.
When the utility identifies a potentially suitable site, it should communicate with people in the area and respect their rights, interests and views on the proposal to build such a facility close to their homes, the council said.
The directive came on the heels of a statement by Minister Without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森), who is in charge of the government’s nuclear-free policy.
Discussions on the issue of picking a provisional nuclear waste storage site in the country are to be initiated this month, Chang said on Saturday.
A safe location is required to store nuclear waste from the aging Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) for 40 to 50 years after it is decommissioned, a process that is scheduled to be carried out over a six-month period starting in December, Chang said.
In a number of countries the storage sites of decommissioned nuclear plants are located near the plants or in industrial areas, Chang said, adding that the government would decide one way or another by the end of the year.
With the nuclear waste storage facilities at two of Taiwan’s three operating nuclear power plants approaching full capacity, Taipower has proposed building a new storage site that would take up 26 hectares and would last for at least 100 years, although only about 40 years of storage would be required.
The proposal has been submitted to the Cabinet for approval, Taipower head of nuclear backend operations Chang Hsueh-chih (張學植) said on Saturday, adding that the company has not identified a suitable site yet.
In choosing a site, Taipower would follow the council’s regulations, which specify that a nuclear waste storage facility cannot be built in an area where there are geological or environmental issues, he said, adding that, with the exception of such locations, the whole of Taiwan and its outlying islands would be considered.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor
RSS