On Wednesday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) announced plans to establish three special committees to address important issues in Taiwan — the National Climate Change Response Committee (NCCRC), the National Whole-of-Society Resilience Committee and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee.
By setting up these committees, Lai has shown that he is well aware of Taiwan’s global strategy and national priorities. Chief among these concerns is climate change, with its extensive implications for diplomacy, trade and energy strategies.
Taiwan’s booming electronics industry, also known as the “sacred mountain protecting the nation,” requires continuous and stable power supply to grow. However, climate change presents unforeseen challenges, posing a threat to electricity supplies worldwide.
In Europe, Balkan countries have experienced power outages due to extreme weather. Unusually high temperatures led to a spike in electricity consumption, ultimately overpowering electrical grids and causing blackouts.
Other extreme climate events such as droughts severely impact countries that rely heavily on hydroelectric power. Typhoons and wildfires have also significantly damaged power grids, causing large-scale power outages.
On Friday last week, “Hideo,” a two-year-old Malaysian tapir from the Yokohama Zoological Gardens, died due to heat stress on an inbound cargo flight to Taipei. These tragedies were once rare, yet with increasingly unpredictable weather, they are bound to happen more frequently.
In the face of daunting climate conditions, it is vital to consider effective and durable energy strategies.
Lai appointed Tung Tsu-hsien
(童子賢), chairman of Taiwan-based contract electronics maker Pegatron Corp, to serve as deputy convener of the NCCRC.
In a recent interview, Tung shared his views on nuclear energy, putting forward the idea of extending the life of two Taiwanese nuclear power plants. His proposal caused a stir, as the Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been opposed to nuclear power.
However, the energy sector has made great strides in the past few decades, and it is essential to keep an open mind and stay up-to-date with the latest developments.
We are continuously defying past assumptions. Solar energy was once only used by space programs due to its high cost. Yet, over the past 50 years, it has become an increasingly affordable source of energy. Last year, the price of solar power globally ranged between NT$0.78 and NT$3.11 per kilowatt-hour, making it one of the cheapest forms of energy available.
In 1996, following the opening of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the global nuclear industry pushed for the construction of a third generation of nuclear power plants. Although designed to be safer and more economical, things did not go according to plan.
Most third-generation power plants worldwide, including Taiwan’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, faced repeated delays and complications. Budgets had to be continuously appended, turning the plants into huge money pits.
The Fourth Nuclear Power Plant faced widespread public opposition when it experienced a blackout during trial runs.
However, the fourth generation of nuclear power plants no longer experience the technical faults of the third generation. Furthemore, the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident has put safety concerns to the forefront, encouraging innovative thinking and new solutions.
Nuclear power plants are now equipped with a “passive security” system with molten salt reactors — as opposed to the water-cooled reactors used previously.
Should an incident occur, the molten salt reactor will act as a coolant and solidify the fuel, thereby preventing a potential hydrogen explosion.
Furthermore, molten salt reactors, compared with their water-cooled counterparts, do not require large installation areas due to their smaller size. They also have the added advantage of significantly reducing the storage period for nuclear waste.
Many start-ups around the world are working to develop new nuclear technologies — including the nuclear innovation company TerraPower, funded by Bill Gates.
Tung has suggested extending the operations of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, part of the second generation.
Although numerous countries originally set up this generation of power plants with the expectation of a 40-year lifespan, it is now believed that they can in fact carry on for another 20 to 40 years.
Not only does the Ma-anshan plant have an excellent safety record; its construction expenses have already been amortized, meaning that the cost of electricity production is low.
Most importantly, it can bridge the gap until Taiwan’s wind and solar energy sectors are fully ready to take over.
As such, the decision regarding Taiwanese nuclear power plants should be made with scientific backing and rational thinking.
Power plants should be shut down only if they prove to be unsafe and wasteful, not because of ignorance. After all, we all strive for the same goal: ensuring Taiwan’s strong and steady development.
Tommy Lin is the chairman of the Formosa Republican Association.
Translated by Gabrielle Killick
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