Premier Cho Jung-tai discussed energy security on Friday, at the annual conference of the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce. He told industry executives that green energy was, quote, the only way forward between now and 2030. The premier was responding to calls for a return to nuclear power generation.
Premier Cho Jung-tai attended an annual industry conference on Friday, to engage with the business community. Energy security was a pressing concern for industry executives. At the Third Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, the No. 1 reactor is set to be decommissioned as scheduled on July 27.
Cho Jung-tai
Premier
The safety inspections required for an extension were not initiated five years ago. So at present, it’s impossible to extend the unit’s operation past July 27, because safety can no longer be guaranteed.
Cho said the government will ensure that ongoing power projects are completed on schedule. A 10-year, NT$500 billion plan to strengthen the power grid will be expedited under the Lai administration, targeting a timeframe of five years. At the same time, green energy ventures will continue, with the goal of attracting major international corporations to help build an “AI island.”
Cho Jung-tai
Premier
Right now it’s impossible to say what next-generation nuclear energy will look like, although we’re leaving room for various possibilities. At any rate, between now and 2030, it’s clear that we cannot depend on nuclear energy, on adding more nuclear power units. So our only way forward is green energy.
The Presidential Office recently established a climate change committee, with Pegatron Chair Tung Tzu-hsien as deputy convener. Former Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh announced that he would serve as a consultant, saying that he agreed with Tung’s proposal to continue nuclear energy use. On Friday, Tung denied that he was, quote, pro-nuclear.
Tung Tzu-hsien
Pegatron chair
To clarify again, it is inappropriate to describe me with the term “pro-nuclear.” Nuclear energy is a tool. It is not a belief to support or oppose with all of one’s heart. I have not communicated with anyone over this issue, and my views are not shaped by anybody but myself.
Tung stressed that his views were his own, based on his observations of Taiwan’s industrial development.
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