Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is to meet with local government heads of Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市) and Keelung today to discuss the controversial construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District amid growing opposition against the plant from within the pan-blue camp.
The meeting was arranged shortly after Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) voiced concern over the safety of the power plant and said that he would vote to support suspension of the plant’s construction if there was to be referendum held now.
As the three local government heads in the cities that are closest to the power plant, Hau, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong (張通榮) are to meet with Jiang today to exchange ideas about the controversial power plant and nuclear power issues.
His opposition to the construction of the plant has not changed, and his stance will remain the same unless new information proves the safety of the plant, Hau said yesterday.
“Most Taipei residents share the same concern about the safety of the plant, and the information available now shows that the plant, after undergoing construction suspension and a change of plans, doesn’t look safe,” he said.
He urged state-run Taiwan Power Co to provide more relevant information and invite foreign experts to make a thorough inspection of the plant. He added that he would express the people of Taipei’s concern about the plant’s safety during today’s meeting.
The Executive Yuan said that the government’s plan to determine whether to halt the construction of the plant via a national referendum remained the same, and the premier would listen to opinions from the three mayors and exchange ideas on the issue.
Chu agreed that the real question should be whether the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant can operate safely, and said that today’s meeting aims to address that issue.
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