If Anything Happens to a "Nuclear-free Homeland," Who Shall Be Held Accountable for a "Homeland with Inadequate Power Supply"?

 If Anything Happens to a "Nuclear-free Homeland," Who Shall Be Held Accountable for a "Homeland with Inadequate Power Supply"?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

July 6, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

Under the cover of darkness and high winds, the Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) transported 160 bundles of Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 (NPP No. 4) fuel rods in eight container trucks to Keelung harbor for shipment to the United States to wait for buyers. This move on the part of the Tsai government is to declare its determination for a "nuclear-free homeland" and to cut off any opportunity for de-mothballing NPP No. 4. At the very juncture of the power supply crisis, with difficulty in substitution by green energy and LNG power generation, while serious air pollution has led to the unpopularity of coal-fired power plants, the Tsai government is nevertheless shipping out nuclear fuel rods; besides being obstinate and illogical, it is, moreover, extremely stupid. Let us ask: Once the "nuclear-free homeland" becomes a "homeland with inadequate power supply," who among the DPP shall be held accountable?

Ironically, on the same day that Taipower was sending NPP No. 4 r fuel rods, the Atomic Energy Council of the Japanese government approved the restart of the “East Sea Nuclear Power Plant No. 2,” which is located 100-plus kilometers from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tsai Ing-wen's "nuclear-free homeland" policy was precisely developed and formed in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, and followed the leadership of Japan. However, after elevating standards of supervision and control, Japan has gradually restarted nuclear power plants. In contrast, the Tsai government, however, has still clung to the "nuclear-free" slogan and goal to the end. Isn’t this like "emulating the walking style of Handan," not having learned its elegance, instead ended up not knowing how to walk at all?

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan indeed endured two years of non-nuclear time with "zero nuclear power," but why did it later on decide to restart nuclear power? There are three major reasons: First, in order to fill the shortage left by nuclear power, Japan must import, in a large scale, LNG and petroleum for thermal power generation. In just four short years, Japan spent ¥7 trillion for additional fossil fuel expenditures; as a consequence, deficits in Japanese trade occurred for a number of years in succession. Second, with the increase in the proportion of thermal power generation, carbon dioxide emissions greatly increased, and air pollution has become serious. In 2012, because it was difficult to fulfill its carbon reduction commitments, Japan was compelled to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement named after a city in that country. Third, the result of substituting nuclear power generation with firepower is an increase in costs of fuel for power generation, skyrocketing by 25%. In recent years, with the restart of nuclear power plants, electricity rates have also come down.

In fact, the problems Japan experienced will be inevitable for Taiwan to encounter. Under such unfavorable circumstances, the Tsai government still blindfolded its eyes to ship out NPP No. 4 fuel rods, tantamount to destroying Taiwan’s own, last reserve power in one stroke. What in the world is such a government thinking? If people are not prone to forget, they should remember that in that year, the impact of the Japanese nuclear disaster, plus the anti-NPP No. 4 fasting launched by Lin I-hsiung, compelled the Ma Ying-jeou government to “mothball” NPP No. 4. That it was called "mothball" rather than "destroy" aimed at hoping that, at a crucial moment, it could be used to supply the electricity needed by Taiwan, but the Tsai government, however, shipped out the fuel rods in an attempt to sell them at bargain basement pricing.

If the "nuclear-free homeland" eventually became "a homeland with inadequate power supply," who should be held accountable for this rotten endgame? Will it be Tsai Ing-wen or Lai Ching-te? Or Lin I-hsiung, who used the anti-nuclear hunger strike to compel the mothballing of NPP No. 4? Please tell us!

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