The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) yesterday denied allegations that Sioulin Township (秀林), Hualien County, had been selected as a location for nuclear waste storage.
The denial came after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at a press conference that Taipower had been drilling holes in the eastern township in preparation for the work.
The company began the deep-hole drilling work in October for a nuclear waste storage facility located 500m underground, Hsiao said. The crew had drilled to a depth of 200m as of the end of last month, he added, citing information provided by local residents.
Photo: Fang Pin-Chao, Taipei Times
The storage plan was part of the council’s “Spent Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Program Plan,” she said.
The DPP maintains a “nuclear-free homeland” policy and condemns the inappropriate action, Hsiao said, adding that the drilling had created fear among Hualien residents and local Taroko Aborigines.
Hsiao said Taipower should move the planned facility out of the county and release all information pertaining to its nuclear waste storage operations.
Environmental group Citizen of the Earth said in a press release that the reported plan could violate the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法), which requires the government to obtain consent from Aborigines before carrying out major developments on their territory.
It is also against social justice and the principle of proportionality to store nuclear waste in low electricity consuming areas such as eastern Taiwan or the islands off its coast, the group said.
Taipower and the council denied such efforts were underway.
Taipower’s plans and nuclear waste disposal operations would have to be approved by the council and made public, said Lee Ching-shan (李清山), director of Taipower’s nuclear back-end management department.
The drilling was a part of a nationwide granite texture inspection program and was unrelated to the selection of a site for spent nuclear fuel disposal, he said.
Taipower will not make any unilateral decision on the site before the council submits a draft bill for the selection of the disposal site, Lee said.
Liu Wen-chung (劉文忠), an official from the council, said that no selection would be made for 20 years as the council and Taipower were scheduled to conduct technological research between 2005 and 2017.
“I guarantee that Taipower has no intention to make Hualien the disposal site of the spent nuclear fuel,” Liu said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS