The prospect of restarting a nuclear reactor set for decommissioning to help meet Taiwan’s summer energy needs looks unlikely after an immediate backlash against the idea.
With temperatures soaring and the prospect of a power shortage in the months ahead, Premier Lin Chuan had floated the idea of restarting the number one reactor at Taiwan’s First Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is set to be decommissioned in 2018 and Lin said there was no question of extending its service life. He said Tuesday that three conditions would need to be met if the reactor were to be restarted.
Lin said, “The first principle is that we have exhausted all other possibilities before turning to nuclear power. The second is that there should be no safety concerns. The third is that there should be a public consensus. Only if these three conditions are met will we consider restarting the number one reactor.”
Media reports however said that Lin’s introduction of a “public consensus” as a condition effectively means the idea is “dead in the womb.” Already a group of anti-nuclear campaigners have brought a lawsuit against the premier for even bringing up the suggestion.
Economics Minister Lee Chih-kung sought to downplay the controversy, saying that the government would do more to put energy-saving measures into practice.
Lee said, “We all have to do everything we can to make adjustments… We have to first do all we can to resolve power shortage issues that we might face. Yesterday everyone was saying we just have to see what the weather will be like but we have to do everything possible to avoid that situation. We will start to undertake more measures to save energy.”
The prospect of an energy shortage presents an immediate challenge for the new Tsai Ing-wen administration, which had campaigned on phasing out nuclear power by 2025.