Taiwan Today

Premier Wu Den-yih has expressed hope that Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant can begin operating by next year’s National Day, which falls on Oct. 10, as an “anniversary gift” marking the Republic of China’s 100th birthday. In response, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said April 5 that it will do all that it can to meet the premier’s goal of kicking off the plant’s commercial operations two months ahead of the original schedule set for the end of 2011. According to sources, Wu stated his wish to move the plant’s launch date forward after listening to a briefing by the state-owned Taiwan Power Co. Ltd. ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays in early February. MOEA Deputy Minister Lin Sheng-chung said according to the most recent schedule, the plant’s first of two Advanced Boiling Water Reactor units was set to begin trial operations by the end of this year. The formal launch of operations was slated for Dec. 15, 2011. Lin said his ministry would strictly adhere to the principle of safety first in making an all-out effort to commence the plant’s operations ahead of next year’s National Day in accordance with Wu’s wish. Under the original schedule, the plant’s first ABWR unit had been slated to come online in 2004. However, after the Democratic Progressive Party won the presidency in 2000, construction work on the controversial plant was suspended in line with the new administration’s push for a nuclear-free Taiwan. Construction was resumed following a 110-day suspension after the Council of Grand Justices passed a ruling that in effect voided the administration’s decision. The new launch date was then set for July 15, 2006, but that was later pushed back to the end of 2011 because a series of factors caused further delays in the plant’s progress toward completion. Taipower’s chief engineer Tu Yueh-yuan said the plant’s construction is now 80 percent complete and is more or less on schedule. Tu stated she is “cautiously optimistic” that the premier’s goal for starting operations ahead of time can be achieved, adding also that safety will be the primary consideration in moving forward with the new plan. Noting that the plant will first have to undergo strict testing by the Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council before commencing commercial operations, Tu said the public therefore has no need to be worry about the plant’s safety. (SB)