The government has no plan to extend nuclear power plants’ operations beyond their mandated lifespan and is not considering amending the laws on their use, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
Chou made the remarks at the legislature in response to questions by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯).
Hsu mentioned Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo’s (郭智輝) previous statements that operations of the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Wanli District (萬里), New Taipei City, and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, in Ma-anshan (馬鞍山), Pingtung County, could be extended if the plants go through proper inspection and testing.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
However, Kuo’s remark contradicts with Cabinet spokesman Chen Shih-kai’s (陳世凱) statement that “the Cabinet’s position has not changed, and we are still adhering to the ‘nuclear-free homeland’ policy.”
The Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) stipulates that, to extend a nuclear power plant’s services, an application for review, inspection and approval procedures must be made at least five years prior to the end of its mandated lifespan, Cho said.
“Now those deadlines [for the two power plants] have already passed. The authorities can no longer apply for the extension of service,” he added.
“The Cabinet has no plan to introduce an amendment to extend the two power plants’ operations,” he said.
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s first nuclear reactor is scheduled to be decommissioned next month, Cho said.
Separately yesterday, in response to media queries, Kuo said the Cabinet is to maintain the previous administration’s policy of achieving a “nuclear-free homeland.”
The Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Shihmen District (石門), New Taipei City, was decommissioned in July 2019, while the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant ended its operations in March last year.
The Ma-anhsan plant’s first nuclear reactor is to be decommissioned on July 26 and its second reactor is scheduled to end operations in May next year.
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