Discussing the future direction of the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) amid criticism that it has been too favorable to Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), AEC Minister Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) yesterday told a Taipei news conference that it would emphasize transparency and public participation.
Hsieh reiterated that the council has to remain neutral and transparent, and encourage the public’s participation in overseeing nuclear plant safety to regain the public’s trust.
“The Atomic Energy Council must be accountable to the public, and I hope that there will be at least two members on the council’s decision-making committee from environmental organizations,” he said.
“Although council officials are the most educated and capable of government officials, they are overly conservative. The council will be open to the public and share information on how it handles nuclear incidents as fast as possible,” Hsieh said.
He reaffirmed the government’s policy of going nuclear-free by 2025, adding that the council will complete a review of Taipower’s decommissioning plan of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門) by June next year.
However, while saying that he supports the relocation of low-level radioactive waste from Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as a step toward transitional justice, Hsieh said there have been many difficulties in selecting a site for another temporary or permanent nuclear waste repository.
If Taipower fails to come up with a storage site option by September, it has to propose an alternative plan to relocate it, which might involve temporarily depositing it on an unpopulated island, the council said
Nuclear power plants might become temporary storage sites for high-level radioactive waste should the council fail to find another repository site, the council said.
Council officials also said the Jinshan plant’s No. 1 reactor, which has been out of operation since December 2014 due to a loose handle on a fuel rod cask, can be reactivated in a few days if the legislature approves Taipower’s reactivation plan.
The reactivation has been proposed to ease a power shortage crisis, despite the government’s nuclear-free policy, with Minister without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) yesterday saying that the reactor remains a possible option and nuclear-free policy does not mean the early decommissioning of the nation’s three operating nuclear plants.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS