We Smell Corruption in the Creation of Nuclear-Power Confrontation

 We Smell Corruption in the Creation of Nuclear-Power Confrontation

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

March 14, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

The three plebiscite propositions relative to "using nuclear power to nurture green energy" were adopted with an overwhelming 8 million votes; however, the DPP government insists on the policy of nuclear-free 2025, and in order to meet the demand for electricity, it thought nothing about signing contracts, not minding the wholesale electricity price from wind power generation caused us to lose prestige and humiliated the nation. Outside circles endlessly questioned, believing that the wholesale electricity price proposed by wind power generation developers was double that in other countries, which was extremely unreasonable; however, the government accepted the offer in toto like a sycophant. Was the force that drove the Tsai government purely upholding the anti-nuclear ideology, or was it hijacked by the huge interests behind green energy? Would green energy be a successful "Taiwan Goal Corp. case"?

When the Chen Shui-bian government lost the election in 2008, DPP big wigs, i.e., Wu Nai-jen, Chiou I-jen et al. sought funding from state enterprises to secretly found a company named Taiwan Goal Corp., with arms as its main business; because information leaked, eliciting disputes, the preparations ended. This company named as its lofty goal "establishing a defense industry and assisting the military in upgrading arms," but was believed to be circumventing the government's supervisory system, restraining the new government's subsequent policies, and benefiting specific figures. The "Taiwan Goal Corp. case" has become a negative terminology, representing the attempt on the part of politicians, after stepping down, to continue to firmly grasp the distribution of government resources and seek benefits; the green energy policy may become a "successful Taiwan Goal Corp. case."

The plebiscite propositions on "using nuclear power to nurture green energy" were adopted last year, but the developments following Su Tseng-chang’s assumption of the premiership stunned the outside world by continuing to insist on comprehensive nuclear-free by 2025, while the issues of postponing the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and de-mothballing Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 (NPP No. 4), however, were prevaricated with unconvincing grounds such as nuclear waste could not be handled, it would take 7-8 years to de-mothball and activate NPP No. 4., and the opposition of localities. More curiously, the Tsai government surprisingly “favored” the demand of wind power generation developers to adjust even more upwards the wholesale electricity price proposed by the wind power and solar energy developers, with regard to wind power, raising from NT$5.1 per kWh as promulgated earlier to NT$5.5. The Economics Ministry adjusted the wholesale electricity price from NT$5.1 this year to NT$5.5; in 20 years, it is tantamount to paying an additional NT$138 billion to the power generation developers.

Why are Tsai government officials so brazen, not minding a bit about outside criticisms, and even less afraid of possible pursuit and investigations by the criminal justice system, offering huge benefits to the developers? Is there any distribution of interests from government-business operators behind the deal unbeknownst to the public?

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