Safety a prerequisite for fourth nuclear power plant operation: premier
ROC Central News Agency
2013/04/16 19:24:14
Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Premier Jiang Yi-huah reiterated Tuesday that the government will not allow commercial operation of the country's fourth nuclear power plant unless its safety can be ascertained.
The project involves Taiwan's future economic momentum, domestic employment and commodity prices, Jiang said at a breakfast meeting with industry leaders and government officials in charge of financial and economic affairs.
The premier said the nuclear plant is also linked to the country's ultimate plan to establish a nuclear-free homeland, with carbon emissions a major factor.
If the project is scrapped, the consequences will be so severe that no individual, government department, or lawmaker will be able to cope alone, he said.
Holding a referendum on the issue "can earn some valuable time for the people to figure out their positions and make a wise decision when it's time to vote," the premier said.
Citing the latest government poll, he said 68 percent of people in Taiwan support the idea of resolving the controversial fourth nuclear power plant issue by means of a public referendum, while 19 percent do not back that approach.
Meanwhile, the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC), which hosted the breakfast meeting, said it supports the government's decision to let the public decide the fate of the nuclear power plant project by means of a national referendum.
CNAIC Chairman Kenneth Lo said the association will assemble a delegation to visit the almost completed power plant in New Taipei City on April 18.
The CNAIC is a private, independent, non-profit organization of leading commercial and industrial groups and financial institutes in Taiwan.
(By Lin Meng-ju and Elizabeth Hsu)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
