Legislators yesterday debated extending the service life of the nation’s last remaining nuclear power reactor, with the head of the Nuclear Safety Commission saying that the main obstacle is the safe storage of radioactive waste.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has proposed amendments to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) to extend the 40-year limit on operating licenses for nuclear power facilities.
KMT Legislator Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞), coconvener of legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, said the act, promulgated in 2003, has not been updated in 22 years.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Many nuclear power plants operate beyond 40 years and still meet safety requirements, Ko said, adding that the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed 10 versions of amendments to prolong the nation’s nuclear power generation.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) said President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration aims to generate more electricity from renewable energy sources, adding that nuclear power only makes up 3 percent of the nation’s current energy mix.
That power is generated by the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, the nation’s only remaining operational reactor, which is scheduled to be decommissioned next month, when it reaches the end of its 40-year lifespan, Lin said.
Nuclear Safety Commission Chairman Chen Min-jen (陳明真) said the main issue for continuing to use nuclear power is that Taiwan has not settled on a final decision on how to safely treat and store nuclear waste.
“Safety must be the top priority. There are ways to handle and treat the radioactive waste materials, but society and all stakeholders must be in agreement on the matter,” Chen said.
“Our commission only has a supervisory role, and it is our duty to ensure safe operation of nuclear power plants and the safe storage of nuclear waste,” he said, adding that once a consensus is reached on how and where to store radioactive waste, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Taiwan Power Co can decide on extending operating licenses or authorizing the construction of new plants.
Lin said the KMT and TPP were ignoring the risks to nuclear power facilities from frequent earthquakes and China’s military threats.
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