To protect the coastline near a wharf built to receive heavy equipment for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the government is considering partly removing two breakwaters near the wharf, Public Construction Commission Vice Chairman Kuo Ching-chiang (郭清江) said yesterday.
Kuo said the change to the wharf's design would not affect the planned starting date of the plant's operations.
The wharf, enclosed by the two breakwaters, is designed to accommodate heavy machinery on its way to the construction site of the nuclear plant in Kungliao Township.
Last month, Taiwan Power Company, the operator of the plant, unloaded a 1,007-tonne nuclear pressure vessel from the wharf, which is key to the company's plan to meet its target of July 2006.
The wharf, however, has been a bone of contention not only with local residents but also environmentalists since 2000 for the impact it has had on nearby Fulung Beach.
In April, a Cabinet task force investigating coastal erosion near the wharf concluded that the loss of sand at the beach could be attributed to stress to the environment caused by construction of the wharf. Late last month, the task force came up with three possible solutions.
According to Kuo, the first idea -- having Taipower supply sand to the beach -- was opposed by local residents, who could no longer tolerate the continuing loss of sand.
Kungliao-based Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which administers Fulong Beach, is also concerned about the deteriorating coastal environment. According to ministry officials, the beach is about 50cm lower than before, attracting fewer tourists.
Kuo said the second idea -- rebuilding the wharf and associated buildings at a cost of NT$15 billion -- might be too expensive for Taipower.
A possible solution, Kuo said, is the combination of the these two ideas -- pulling down half of the two breakwaters and having Taipower supply sand to replace lost sand at the beach.
"This could be a solution because of its low cost and because it is environmentally friendly," Kuo said.
Kuo said that the Cabinet had demanded an evaluation of the third option from Taipower, which will reply in a few weeks. The project would cost about NT$1.2 billion.
Kuo said a change in the design of the wharf would not affect the launch of the plant's operations because it would not be completed until after 2005.
Taipower officials said that changing the design of the wharf was not an easy task. It plans to import the second reactor from Japan before any changes to the wharf are made.
"The second nuclear pressure vessel will be transferred no later than early next year in order to start generating power in 2007," said Lin Yuan-te (林源得), Taipower's deputy manager for the Lungmen Construction Office in Kungliao.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of