Wed, Sep 20, 2023 page3

• Group urges candidates to reconsider nuclear power

  • By Huang Ching-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Calling the government’s energy policies “misguided,” the Climate Change Pioneering Alliance yesterday urged presidential candidates to sign a pledge that they would commission international experts to conduct a complete review of the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

  Only by having a broad, comprehensive view of the issue can the government decide what kind of clean power source to transition to that would best benefit the environment, alliance spokesperson Chiang Chao-yuan (江肇元) told a news conference in Taipei.

  Electricity involves more than a flick of a switch or sticking plugs into outlets; it is also about transportation, smart industry, clean drinking water and food, Chiang said.

  

  The mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District is pictured in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Taipei Times file photo

  The UN’s 24/7 Carbon-free Energy initiative — which incorporates renewable resources and nuclear power as low-carbon alternatives — is gaining increasing support from state governments, international corporations and new-general environmental protection groups, he said.

  Alliance founder Yang Chia-fa (楊家法) said that because of the government’s misguided energy policies, its energy transition efforts lack public support, have failed to generate revenue for the state, would not reduce coal-fired energy production and ultimately would not benefit the public.

  These policies would not reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and would not increase low-carbon energy sources, Yang added.

  LowCarbonPower Ltd Co representative, Olof Nordenstam of Sweden, said that statistics and trends on energy usage from different countries show that nuclear power together with renewable energy can reduce a nation’s carbon footprint and help it achieve net zero emissions.

  The alliance called on presidential candidates to pledge that they would commission foreign experts to conduct a complete and transparent inspection of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant if elected.

  The group said that presidential candidates should also assess the possibility of extending the lifetime of the three nuclear power plants in service or consider updating their equipment.

  Presidential candidates should also ensure that Taiwan maintains an independent atomic energy research facility that will allow the nation to keep up with international trends, the group said.

  While they would not be called to commit to using nuclear energy, they should explore all options, including nuclear power, which has been proven to be a viable choice as a low-carbon alternative power source, the group said.

  The alliance will provide copies of the pledge to all presidential candidates over the next three weeks in hopes that they would treat the issue seriously, Yang said.
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