President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of July 25 with Dr. Ren-Tai Chiang (江仁台), president of the Chinese-American Nuclear Technology Association (CANTA). During the meeting, the two exchanged opinions on a broad range of topics related to nuclear power and energy policy.
In remarks, President Ma stated that on December 26 of last year Dr. Chiang and other leading experts from CANTA visited the Presidential Office, providing high-ranking officials here with incisive and expert recommendations on nuclear energy. The president said that he learned a great deal from that meeting. He also pointed out that Dr. Chiang frequently publishes articles in newspapers and magazines, and that a series of articles released by CANTA last year provided the public here with basic knowledge regarding nuclear energy, for which the president expressed gratitude on behalf of the government.
President Ma stated that nuclear power not only is an energy question for Taiwan, but has become a political issue on which society has yet to forge a consensus. The president remarked that each government must decide whether to use nuclear energy based on its natural resources, the state of its economy, and its international relationships. A government's role, he said, is to find the most appropriate energy mix so as to maximize public wellbeing.
As for the energy policies of the world's major industrial nations, President Ma remarked, after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the resulting tsunamis, the Japanese government announced it was halting the operation of that nation's 48 nuclear reactor units and would instead purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) from overseas to fuel traditional power plants. This, however, caused Japan's trade deficit to rise sharply, he said, following which Japan announced a revised Basic Energy Plan in April of this year under which it hoped to again start reactors so long as all concerns about safety were addressed. He said that the No. 1 and No. 2 units at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture passed safety inspections by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on July 16, and that those units will resume operation once approval is given by the local government. President Ma noted that over the past year he and US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discussed this issue, and that the experts all advocated the continued development of nuclear power. In addition, he said, France's Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy announced in June that it would not abandon nuclear power in the course of France's energy transition. The president added that Korea not only is developing nuclear energy, but also plans to export nuclear power equipment.
As for Taiwan's energy policy, President Ma explained to Dr. Chiang that the concept of a nuclear-free country is clearly set forth in Article 23 of the Basic Environment Act and is Taiwan's ultimate goal. He mentioned that two years ago during his campaign for a second term as president he unveiled an energy policy of "ensuring nuclear safety, gradually reducing reliance on nuclear power, and creating a green power and low-carbon environment to become a nuclear-free country step by step." He further noted, however, that this policy is predicated on the three principles of "no power rationing, maintaining reasonable power prices, and making good on our pledges to the international community to reduce carbon emissions." As for alternative energies, the president said, after taking office he obtained passage of the Renewable Energy Development Act and actively promoted renewable energies, with the result that generation of both solar and wind power has increased since he then. He noted, however, that renewable energies have their limitations and communities often protest the construction of generation units in their backyards. Consequently, renewable energies cannot replace nuclear power here in the short term, the president said.
President Ma also mentioned that the government intends to convene a national conference on energy to discuss related issues, particularly the mothballing of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. He expressed hope that this conference will enable the public to understand the risks of either halting or continuing construction of the nuclear power plant, and that the conference will point the way to solutions and lead to a consensus within society. He also said he hopes that Dr. Chiang and other experts in this field will provide their valuable suggestions, thereby offering important reference to the government.