Several Kuomingtang (KMT) legislators are considering proposing amendments to extend the operation of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants without setting a deadline for the extension application.
According to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act and related sub-laws, applications for extending the operation of nuclear power plants should be submitted five years before the license expires. This means that the currently operational Maanshan (馬鞍山) Nuclear Power Plant cannot be extended and will be gradually decommissioned over the next two years.
Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) Chairperson Chen Tung-yang (陳東陽) said extending the operation of nuclear power plants is a very complex issue, involving the overall national energy policy, construction of dry storage facilities, amendments to regulations, nuclear waste disposal, and all of which require social consensus.
DPP Legislators Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and Jean Kuo (郭昱晴) both stated that Taiwan has not yet found a permanent storage location, and this clearly indicates that the cost of nuclear power generation is underestimated.
Chen agreed with their view and emphasized that the social costs are difficult to estimate, but he said that the NSC will respect the decisions made by the Legislature.