On the afternoon of March 31, President Ma Ying-jeou convened a seminar at which high-ranking officials from the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and other ministries met with representatives of Mom Loves Taiwan, an association of mothers against nuclear power. The government officials listened to the mothers' opinions regarding a halt to the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and other nuclear power policies. President Ma stressed that government agencies will continue to engage in a dialogue with private groups and will accept public oversight.
In opening remarks, President Ma stated that the public has become increasingly concerned about nuclear safety in Taiwan in the wake of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. The president acknowledged that more and more people, regardless of age, gender or profession, have stood up to express their viewpoints on the issue. In particular, the president said, he and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) closely watched a large-scale march held on March 9 expressing concern about the safety of nuclear power. The president added that the Mom Loves Taiwan group organized the march, saying that "this was a very good start in enabling the public to voice its opinion."
The president commented that prior to the march, Premier Jiang had already spoken at the Legislative Yuan, indicating that the government would not rule out a referendum on whether construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted. President Ma stressed that the government's nuclear power policy seeks to "ensure nuclear safety, gradually reduce reliance on nuclear power, create a green power and low carbon environment, and gradually become a nuclear-free country," always under the preconditions of "no power rationing, maintaining reasonable power prices, and fulfilling the nation's pledges to the international community to reduce carbon emissions." With this in mind, he said, the ultimate goal of the government is to create a "nuclear-free country." This objective is set forth in Article 23 of the Basic Environment Act, he noted. At issue, however, is how to achieve the goal, whether "gradually" or "immediately," he said. Consequently, society has a variety of viewpoints on strategies and means to achieve this goal, the president remarked. He stressed that discussion of the entire issue is moot if nuclear safety cannot be assured, so the foremost issue is to guarantee nuclear safety.
President Ma furthermore explained that after he took office the government pledged to the international community that it would reduce Taiwan's carbon emissions in 2020 to levels seen in 2005, and further reduce emissions to the level of 2000 by 2025. This is not an easy task, he said, especially as Taiwan is reliant on exports. Taiwan must therefore work to reduce carbon emissions in order to avoid censure or sanctions, and these factors must be considered by the government as it formulates its energy policy.
With respect to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, President Ma stressed, the government will "listen with humility, study issues thoroughly, communicate sincerely, and make decisions carefully." The president noted that the issue of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant has plagued Taiwan for 20 years, and construction of the plant has been started and stopped numerous times. Acknowledging the controversial nature of the issue, the president said, the government hopes that the public will make a decision and resolve the issue once and for all, but only after clearly understanding the pros and cons on both sides, so that this issue will no longer trouble society. Once a decision is made, everyone must bear the responsibility. This, he stated, is the basic attitude of the government, so he strongly welcomes hearings like the one being held that day, which enable everyone to discuss the issue frankly and in the open. This allows everyone to clearly state their viewpoints, he noted.
After his remarks, participants at the hearing exchanged views on a broad range of issues, including whether construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted, the storage of nuclear waste, a referendum on construction of the plant, Taiwan's energy policy, the impact of nuclear power on Taiwan's economic development, the disclosure of information and platforms for dialogue, ultimate emergency measures, and evacuation plans.
Lastly, the president summarized the opinions and suggestions into five points. First, he said, everyone agreed that Taiwan should become a nuclear-free country that has safe energy, no power rationing, and reasonable carbon emissions, in order to ensure the wellbeing of the next generation. Second, society has varying viewpoints on the strategies and means to achieve the objective of a nuclear-free country. However, everyone shares the opinion that dialogue should be increased to reduce confrontation. Third, he said, Taiwan should maintain its policy of energy conservation and carbon reduction, and should make every effort to develop diversified renewable energy sources, as this would enhance Taiwan's energy independence. While the technology needed to use some renewable energy sources is not yet mature, the government should not pass up any opportunity for development, as renewable energy would make Taiwan more energy independent. Fourth, those at the hearing should continue to engage with Executive Yuan officials. When needed, experts and scholars in the fields of nuclear energy, economics, and energy could be invited to discuss related issues. Fifth, Mom Loves Taiwan is welcome to tour the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant site to monitor construction. This would not imply support for nuclear energy, but would simply facilitate a better understanding of the operation of nuclear plants here. The Taiwan Power Company will be asked to make arrangements, the president remarked, adding that if he has the opportunity, he will personally pay an inspection visit.