The downsides of nuclear
Pegatron CEO Tong Tzu-hsien (童子賢) has been making a lot of statements in support of nuclear power. However, Taiwan’s power infrastructure has changed over the years: Renewable energy’s overall output has surpassed that of nuclear power.
Nuclear power plants account for only 6 percent of the nation’s electricity output. The proportion of electricity generated by renewable sources, including solar, wind, hydroelectricity, biomass and thermal power, is increasing every year. Official figures project that renewable energy sources would contribute 20 percent next year.
Artificial intelligence technologies — large-scale deep learning models and training processes in particular — demand massive computing power. This would lead to high electricity consumption, meaning that the global need for renewable energy would have to increase in response. Foreign-owned factories would need OEMs to gradually increase the usage rate of renewables each year. This shows us that the continued development of nuclear power in Taiwan is increasingly ill-suited.
Taiwan is densely populated and is located on the seismically active Pacific Rim. This carries massive risk for nuclear power use. Spent fuel rod handling and an expensive overhead, as well as nuclear disaster evacuation planning, all require prudent consideration. None of these factors are being fully thought out, but would end up being the key to deciding nuclear power feasibility.
Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for more than two years. The Russian military attacked critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants to weaken Ukraine, leading to suspicions of intentionally wanting to create a nuclear disaster.
Add to this rapid global energy transition, which is spurring the prioritization of renewable energy and dispersed electric grids everywhere, increasing flexibility. Chinese drones have intruded into the airspace around Taiwan’s outlying islands. The government’s plan is to issue drone-jamming guns to personnel to protect the nuclear power plants and other national first-tier critical infrastructure. Nuclear power facilities could be threatened in a Chinese escalation of aggression against Taiwan, which is a huge reminder that Taiwan cannot bear the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.
Tong is only looking at the benefits of nuclear power, but he is ignoring the pitfalls and downsides of its use in the nation. The recent discovery of a South Korean nuclear power plant leaking wastewater is another warning sign. Power plant reboots or service-life extensions are not simply a matter of economic livelihood, but also of national security. Tong’s stance and the white and blue camps’ promotion of an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) are one and the same, attempting to solve the problem of extended servicing, but nuclear power plant service life extension is not at all the best solution. If we continue to push the nuclear issue, we would only be worrying the public. The lack of a truly feasible improvement plan only results in the loss of public trust.
Tu Hsin-lung
Tainan
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