Greenpeace Taiwan yesterday released a report about Japan’s failure to decontaminate radioactively polluted water following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster, while calling on the Taiwanese government to take the problem into account when drafting energy policies.
The report on Tokyo Electric Power Co’s “water crisis” following the disaster was primarily written by Greenpeace Germany nuclear specialist Shaun Burnie.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami triggered meltdowns at three of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant’s six reactors, causing radiation leaks.
The firm in September last year said that its water processing system had failed to reduce radioactive contaminants to levels below the regulatory limits permissible for ocean discharge, the report said, adding that as of Dec. 13 last year, there were still 1.11 million cubic meters of contaminated water at the plant.
In some treated water, levels of strontium 90 were found to be more than 100 times the safety threshold, while other radioactive substances, such as cesium, cobalt, antimony and tritium, were detected in the water, it said.
The goal of the Japanese government and the company to solve the water crisis by next year is not credible, and volumes of contaminated water continue to increase, the report said, urging them to propose better wastewater disposal solutions and control groundwater contamination.
Given the issue’s pertinence in East Asia, the organization’s offices in South Korea and Japan publicized the same report yesterday, Greenpeace Taiwan energy campaigner Lee Chih-an (李之安) said.
The report exposes the astronomical costs of a nuclear disaster, and any nation that develops nuclear power should keep its potential risks and expenses in mind, Lee said.
While Taiwanese on Nov. 24 last year voted to abolish the “nuclear-free homeland by 2025” goal in a referendum, Greenpeace Taiwan believes that phasing out nuclear power is the right direction, although the time frame could be discussed further, she said.
The nation should continue to promote energy transformation by boosting renewable power development and decentralizing power grids, Lee added.
Tokyo Electric Power has vowed to develop offshore wind farm projects by working with Danish energy developer Orsted A/S, with the two having signed a memorandum of understanding last week.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters. Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday. About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military. Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said. Thailand’s military announced that
RSS