The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday decried what it called an apparent reinstatement of the scrapped nuclear-free homeland 2025 policy and accused the government of disrespecting last year’s referendum result.
After the majority voted “yes” in a referendum that asked whether they favored scrapping the policy, the Executive Yuan last year said the nation would still strive to become nuclear-free, but the timetable would be scrapped.
However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Thursday unveiled an “updated” energy policy to abolish nuclear energy by 2025, which has a goal of a 10 percent operating reserve margin.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
It would honor the result of a separate referendum last year that asked people whether they supported reducing the proportion of thermal power by 1 percent per year, the ministry said, but added that the percentage could not be lowered in 2021 using that scheme, as it would not be able to maintain sufficient supply.
KMT lawmakers said that the updated policy was designed to fool the public.
The composition of the sources of electricity generation in the updated policy is the same as the previous energy policy, KMT caucus whip Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said.
Why has Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) not explained such a major policy, but delegated the task to Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津)? Chiang asked.
As Su has often said his team would be in sync with public opinion, he should go live on the Internet to respond to people’s doubts about how the policy is “new,” he said.
KMT caucus secretary-general John Wu (吳志揚) said that the Control Yuan should impeach Su and Shen to force them to explain whether they endorse the policy.
The ministry’s announcement came one day after a revised feed-in tariff for wind energy was unveiled, which suggests that the Democratic Progressive Party’s energy policy is dictated by foreign wind power companies, Wu said.
The policy challenges the opinion of more than 6 million people who voted for the abrogation of the nuclear homeland policy, he said.
He also criticized the ministry over its statement that the ratio of thermal sources would not be able to be lowered after 2021.
That statement reflects a passive attitude in response to public opinion, Wu said.
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