Wed, Nov 22, 2000 page17

• Official resigns over nuclear plant plan

  LEAVING OFFICE The head of the Energy Commission yesterday stepped down, saying he was tired with the controversy surrounding the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant

  • By Richard Dobson / STAFF REPORTER
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  The dispute over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) claimed another official scalp yesterday when Chen Chao-yi (陳昭義), the head of the Energy Commission (能源會), requested reassignment to another position citing mental and physical exhaustion over handling the matter.

  But Chen also hinted that a number of differences in opinion with Economics Minister Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) over the matter had contributed to his decision and expressed doubts over the viability of the plan to fill the power vacuum of the axed nuclear project with gas-fired plants.

  Answering reporters questions yesterday at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which oversees the commission, Chen said "I believe that the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant can be built while we work out a solution to the problem of nuclear waste. But Lin believes only after the waste problem is solved could we consider building the plant," he said.

  Problems with disposing of the plant's waste were one of the major reasons why the government announced on Oct. 27 that construction of the plant be halted.

  Chen also said that he doubted whether the alternative power plan, which was devised by Taipower (台電) and involves further opening the power generation market in northern Taiwan to LNG-fired plants, could be completed on schedule. Officials at the Energy Commission backed up Chen's doubts yesterday saying it would be a "difficult task" to have enough new privately-run power plants up and running by 2007, when northern Taiwan is expected to face a severe power shortfall.

  But Lin expressed disbelief in Chen's words, saying he "probably meant the plan faced difficulties, which would require an all out effort to overcome."

  Lin said Chen was a "good man" and that he tried hard to keep him at the commission.

  Chen's resignation will mark the second senior government official to quit over the plant, following former premier Tang Fei (唐飛), who resigned in October. Although Tang also cited health reasons, it is widely believed that his open support for construction of the plant was what ultimately led to his resignation.

  Local media have speculated that Chen's resignation may also have been motivated in part by frustration with the ministry over its alleged distortion of the facts surrounding cancelation of the plant.

  Taipower executives have said that in estimating the costs of canceling the project at between NT$70 billion NT$90 billion, the Economics Ministry had failed to include the NT$400 billion that would be required over 20 years to buy fuel for the LNG plants proposed to replace the nuclear project.

  Taipower told the Taipei Times that the Ministry had picked what they thought necessary to support cancelation of the plant from data provided by Taipower and certified by the Energy Commission, and left out points deemed otherwise.

  Chen, who currently serves as the executive secretary of the Energy Commission which formulates the nation's energy policy, said that he first brought up resignation with Lin verbally in the middle of September.

  But due to the political sensitivities of the time, when Tang made clear his support for the plant's construction and the re-evaluation committee had voted against the plant, Chen said that he had held off on making a formal request for reassignment until now.

  Chen said that his "mind and body were exhausted" from dealing with the issue and that he hoped he could be reassigned to a position free of official responsibility.
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