ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said June 25 that the government is committed to ensuring the safety of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants while working to diversify energy supplies.
“In event of an emergency, we would rather lose an atomic power station than battle to save it and suffer the consequences,” Ma said.
The president made the remarks while receiving a delegation comprising Japan nuclear experts Michio Ishikawa, Masao Nakamura, and Noboru Takamura at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The group was visiting Taiwan for an international seminar on areas affected by the March 11, 2011, crisis at Fukushima’s Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.
Following the Fukushima incident, Ma said, Taiwan conducted thorough and rigorous inspections of its nuclear power stations and adopted a series of upgraded safety measures.
Many of these were incorporated at the yet-to-be-completed Lungmen plant in New Taipei City, the president said, citing safety measures such as a 2.5-meter high anti-tsunami wall, 48,000-ton water reserve for the cooling system, as well as emergency pumps and diesel generators. The station is located 500 meters from the coast and 12 meters above sea level, making it much safer than Daiichi, he added.
“We have also established last-resort procedures that involve flooding reactors within 46 minutes of detecting a radiation leak, even if this results in permanent damage to the plant.”
The president said Taiwan and Japan are very similar in that they depend heavily on imported energy, have independent electricity networks and are located in the so-called Pacific ring of fire, where earthquakes and volcanic activity occur frequently.
“This reality is reflected in the government’s energy policy,” the president said, adding that it prioritizes atomic safety while seeking to reduce reliance on the power source over time en route to transforming Taiwan into a nuclear-free homeland.
“We will achieve these goals on the basis of maintaining stable power supply, reasonable electricity rates and carbon emission reductions to meet international targets.” (RC-JSM)
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