Business Tycoon Suggests Abandoning of Nuclear Power

Taipei, March 24, 2011 (CENS)--Chang Yung-fa, chairman of Evergreen Group, suggested yesterday (March 23) the government abandon the policy of developing nuclear power, since Taiwan is situated on a seismic belt, similar to Japan.

Chang is the first heavyweight entrepreneur publicly opposing nuclear power in the wake of the massive Japanese earthquake. For all its emphasis on nuclear-power safety, Japan still cannot cope with the impact of the earthquake, let alone Taiwan. The government should seriously review its energy policy and develop alternative energies, according to Chang.

Chang reported that Japan may take 10 years to complete the reconstruction works, though the effect on the global economy will be limited. Personally, he favored the dismantling of all the four nuclear power plants, including the fourth plant which is ready to operate soon.

Taiwan, said Chang, should develop hydraulic power, since it is a mountainous region and wind power can be developed in such windy areas as Hsinchu or Penghu. Thermal power is also a good choice, despite its higher generating cost. Evergreen, for instance, built a natural gas-fired power plant in Kuanhsi township of Hsinchu County in 1999 and sold its output to Taipower, generating considerable profits for the company. The company disinvested the facility last year, for concentration on its core operation.

An economic official, however, noted that the existing nuclear power plants generated 40 billion kilowatts/hour of power last year. For the same output, there will need over 10,000 wind-power generating units, costing over NT$1 trillion. In addition, wind-power supply is unreliable, susceptible to the effect of weather conditions. Therefore, renewable energies can only be positioned as a supplementary source of power. In addition, nuclear power costs only NT$0.66 per kilowatt/hour, compared with NT$1.59 for coal-fired power, NT$3.18 for natural gas-fired power, and NT$4.89 for fuel oil-fired power.