Premier Su Tseng-chang says it is impossible for operations at Taiwan’s mothballed fourth nuclear power plant to resume. Su was speaking Thursday during a Cabinet meeting.
Su’s comments came on the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, which was triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.
Su said in Japan, a country he called “strictly-regulated”, tens of thousands of people still remain displaced even a decade after the disaster. Su also said there are other lessons for Taiwan to learn when it comes to energy too, from such events as the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck central Taiwan in 1999, and the recent electricity shortages caused by snowstorms in Texas.
Su said that the fuel rods at the fourth nuclear power plant have already been shipped back to the United States, and that manufacturers responsible for the construction have been disbanded.
On Wednesday, President Tsai Ing-wen said she wants to make it clear that the resumption of operations at the fourth nuclear power plant is definitely not an option, because this would be unsafe, costly and time-consuming.