Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) yesterday reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to becoming free of nuclear power, ruling out the possibility of renewing licenses for existing nuclear plants.
“To build a nuclear-free homeland, all of the three existing -nuclear-power plants will go offline once their licenses expire,” Shih said during a legislative hearing.
The minister also said that the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), now under construction would become operational only after its safety was guaranteed.
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) questioned the necessity of the fourth nuclear plant, describing the project as “a time bomb that burns money.”
The project’s total cost could eventually grow to more than NT$330 billion (US$11.18 billion), 94 percent higher than the original budget of NT$169.7 billion approved by the Cabinet in 1992, they said.
Shih said that state-run Taiwan Power Co, which operates the nuclear plants, would review the budget and time frame of the project and submit a report by the end of this year.
“It will be a very important -mechanism to attain the ‘nuclear-free’ goal, while ensuring no power rationing, maintenance of reasonable electricity prices and the upholding of carbon reduction promises in the process,” Shih said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS