TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers want to remove limits on applications for extending the life of nuclear power plants, reports said Thursday (March 28).
One of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s key policies is turning Taiwan into a nuclear-free country by 2025. However, the opposition KMT has opposed the plan to close the nation’s three functioning nuclear plants.
During a meeting Thursday, legislators argued that turning to nuclear energy had become an international trend due to concern about carbon emissions and climate change. Taiwan’s need for energy was also increasing as the economy picked up steam again, the KMT politicians said.
Nuclear Safety Commission Chair Chen Tung-yang (陳東陽) emphasized the need for a consensus on a range of subjects, per CNA. He mentioned the storage and disposal of nuclear waste, national policies, and legal amendments as key items that would require a discussion.
In response to the KMT proposal, action groups protested outside the opposition party’s office in Kaohsiung on Thursday. Representatives of 10 environmentalist, human rights, and education groups handed over a petition calling on the party to place more value on nuclear safety, CNA reported.
The protesters expressed concern about the nation’s No. 3 Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, comparing it to a 40-year-old car that needed repairs while it was moving on the road. The costs of keeping the plant safe and extending its life would keep growing, according to the activists.