Establishing a “nuclear-free homeland” is the public consensus and government policies would strive for this goal, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, turning down calls by opposition parties to build additional nuclear power plants to supplement the nation’s energy needs.
Saying that “nuclear energy is green energy,” opposition lawmakers have proposed that nuclear sources account for 10 percent of the nation’s energy mix by 2030 to help meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
The premier told a legislative hearing that the proposal would require construction of two additional nuclear plants, which is not feasible and does not conform to the public’s expectations.
Photo: Taipei Times
There are several criteria for nuclear plants to be eligible for “green energy financing and investment,” and Taiwan’s current treatment of nuclear waste has not reached international standards, Chen said, adding that RE100 — the global initiative for renewable energy — does not include nuclear power.
“The government will continue on the path to net zero emissions by 2050, along with policies to reduce carbon emissions, expand sustainable energy and work to ensure Taiwan has a stable power supply,” Chen added.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that the Jinshan and Guosheng nuclear power plants in New Taipei City have been decommissioned, while the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City, is mothballed due to “intractable problems,” so it would be difficult to meet the 10 percent contribution by 2030.
As opposition parties proposed it, they should also suggest locations for the two new plants and measures on how to deal with nuclear waste, the ministry said in a news release.
“Experience from other countries shows it used to take 10 years to build a nuclear plant... However, after the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, safety requirements and additional costs with public opposition have led to later projects taking more than 20 years,” the release said, adding that the the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant’s construction started in 1999, but after more than two decades, it still cannot be completed.
“In Taiwan, we are facing very difficult problems of how to deal with nuclear waste and are still unable to agree on a final storage site. We even pushed for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel as a transition to the final location, but were met opposition from the New Taipei City Government and other local administrations, showing that it is still very difficult to treat and store nuclear waste,” the release said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) and Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) criticized a remark from Vice President William Lai (賴清德) that nuclear energy could be used in emergency situations, while saying that Lai’s statement and Chen’s acknowledgment of “nuclear energy is green energy” are antithetical to the DPP’s policies.
TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) recently visited Tainan and criticized ways of setting up solar power panel farms in rural regions, and questioned how the land plots were obtained, as many of these sites are of still good value for agricultural production, Chiu said.
“Ko said in many places where the farmland disappeared, prosecutors in 2021 and last year investigated about 60 cases of alleged bribery and illegal activities involving sites for green energy production... These showed that government’s energy policy had led to rife corruption, distorting the original intention of the national policy,” Chiu said.
Chiu outlined the TPP’s policy for sustainable energy and climate change including encouraging renewable energy and new applications, ensuring a stable electricity supply, financial incentives and “carbon fee” mechanism for industries to transition to green energy, and promoting use of electrical vehicles and public transportation.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS