The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County is to be decommissioned on May 17. It is the last operating reactor in Taiwan, marking the nation’s official entry into the era of a “nuclear-free homeland.”
Although nuclear energy only accounts for about 3 percent of Taiwan’s electricity supply, the symbolic turning point has given rise to intense backlash from people who advocate nuclear power. Some people have even launched personal attacks against Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝). These extreme actions reflect an underlying anxiety over the potential implementation of a “nuclear-free homeland” policy.
Over the past year, criticism of Taiwan’s energy policy has largely fixated on the oversimplified argument that restarting the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) would solve all of the nation’s energy issues. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has said multiple times that the country’s power generation is sufficient, but nuclear advocates have continued to claim that decommissioning all nuclear power plants would lead to an energy shortage.
Although Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower) losses are due to rising international fuel prices, nuclear advocates insist that blame for its losses are due to the decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Despite continual improvements in carbon emissions and air pollution from thermal power generation, nuclear advocates still blame them for air pollution, while they say that wind and solar energy would be unnecessary if nuclear plants were used.
They assert that nuclear power is a cure-all for every aspect of energy policy, as if recommissioning Taiwan’s nuclear reactors would solve all of the nation’s energy issues once and for all.
Kuo has said that there are several reasons for Taipower’s losses. According to financial reports, in addition to increasing international fuel prices, the legislature’s cuts to government subsidies have also worsened Taipower’s deficit.
However, some use this as an excuse to manipulate public opinion and demand the extension of nuclear power generation. In doing so, they deliberately downplay the trend of renewable energy development, and disregard the risks of nuclear energy and the costs associated with nuclear waste management.
Some Taipower employees have protested. While they are exercising their free speech, their actions do not represent the company’s stance.
Implementing a non-nuclear policy is not a rejection of science — it simply reflects the reality that Taiwan’s small size and high population density make it ill-equipped to bear the risks of a major nuclear disaster.
The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in 2011 is proof that even technologically advanced countries cannot completely control the technology, while the areas that are affected often far exceed expectations. If Taiwan were to face a similar disaster, the consequences could be unbearable.
That being said, if future generations of nuclear energy technology pass safety inspections, they could be a viable option.
However, that would require thorough planning and professional reviews — emotionally charged criticism cannot take the place of pragmatic discussions.
In March, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that the government would not rule out new nuclear energy investments, but that is entirely different from demanding the resignation of ministers or using political tactics to force a reversal of the energy policy.
Wang Chih-chien is a distinguished professor at National Taipei University’s Graduate Institute of Information Management.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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