Opposition parties are trying to force an electricity rate hike by cutting subsidies to Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to cause public discontent against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, the DPP said yesterday.
Despite a recent report saying that Taipower has accumulated NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion) deficit, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators slashed NT$200 billion of subsidy support to the state-run company, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference at the party’s headquarters.
The two opposition parties claimed that Taipower’s massive deficit is caused by the DPP’s misguided national energy policy, and demanded the government extend the service life of nuclear power plants to avoid power outages, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
“However, the main reason behind Taipower’s deficit is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused prices of petroleum, gas, and fuel to surge globally. Taipower has accumulated a higher deficit, as it has been absorbing rising costs of energy sources worldwide,” he said. “The central government should provide subsidies for Taipower to make up for it.”
“However, the two opposition parties are making these malicious budget cuts to force Taipower to hike electricity rates so that the cost of living rises and there is public discontent,” he said. “Then the KMT and the TPP would take advantage [of the situation] and manipulate the public to attack the government.”
“The opposition parties ignore ordinary people’s hardships and want to increase living costs. They are also weakening Taipower’s financial health,” he said.
“Slashing government subsidies for Taipower would greatly reduce Taiwan’s ability for emergency response when there is a natural disaster,” Wu said. “Cutting Taipower’s subsidies would bring great harm to the nation.”
DPP spokeswoman Han Ying (韓瑩) said that while the KMT has called for extending the use of nuclear power plants due to their supposed lower cost, it misled the public by using inaccurate figures.
“The KMT promotes nuclear power taking a greater share in Taiwan’s energy mix, but it takes a very difference stance when facing voters,” Han said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) when serving as New Taipei City mayor said if Taiwan cannot handle nuclear waste properly, there is no reason to operate nuclear power plants, she said.
Chu vowed to not allow the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in the city’s Gongliao District (貢寮) to operate and told voters that a “nuclear-free homeland is the common stance of all Taiwanese,” she said
“When serving as New Taipei City mayor, Chu even said he would not issue permits for nuclear waste storage sites... In the past he promised to stop operations of nuclear power plants, but now KMT members say an electricity shortage is caused by not extending the use of nuclear power plants,” she said.
“The KMT is being hypocritical, taking up contradictory stances to justify budget cuts, which is unfair, and detrimental to Taipower’s financial health,” she added.
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