Page 8 - AsiaElec Week 12 2023
P. 8
AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec
Taiwan blackouts loom as
another NPP goes offline
Political games threatens reliable power supply to 23 million
TAIWAN
TAIWAN took a significant step closer to government agencies are based.
going fully non-nuclear last week when Unit 2 “Taipower has made long-term plans in
of the nation’s Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in terms of power supply development and
the north of the country, not far from Taipei, was power grid construction. In terms of power
reported as having been safely shut down. supply development, we are actively promot-
Decommissioning will follow as the ruling ing gas-fired power generation units that
government of outgoing President Tsai Ing- halve carbon emissions,” a Taipower spokes-
wen rushes to implement promises made eight person said.
years ago to make the island country wholly Pushing a number of highly contentious gas-
non-nuclear. fired facilities, the spokesperson continued: “at
Kuosheng was officially taken offline after present, gas-fired power generation projects
its existing operating licence had passed the such as Datan, Xingda, Taichung, Tongxiao
40-year mark, but with even the state-owned Phase II and Dalin have been launched simul-
utility Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) now taneously. For existing units, Taipower adjusted
saying “some people are worried that Taiwan its annual repair plan and shortened the time in
will lack electricity in the future,” the move is response to extreme weather; the power grid has
seen as highly polarising. also continued to be strengthened, and a total
Regardless of public opinion, Taiwan’s gov- of $3.3bn has been invested in the improvement
ernment is standing by its ‘nuclear-free home- of power distribution equipment in the past five
land by 2025’ promise made ahead of the 2016, years.”
elections which brought it to power. Structural improvements aside, as the for-
And despite calls for reconsideration from mer boiling water reactor at Kuosheng is slowly
industry figures and the general public, the dismantled, power cuts are still expected once
comments of former Minister of Economic temperatures rise; summertime temperatures
Affairs, and current Vice Premier, Shen Jong- in Taiwan can stay above 30 degrees for weeks
chin from 2019, that “there would be no on end.
extension or restarts of nuclear power plants Few believe the government energy mix goal
in Taiwan due to subjective and objective of 20% renewables, 50% LNG and 30% coal
conditions, as well as strong public objection”, will be realised any time soon, or will be even
stand. sufficient to keep the 23mn population cool
So much so that many see the shutdown and throughout the summer.
ruling party insistence on removing all exist- As such, with the country now down to just
ing NPPs from the grid as more political than two functioning reactors at the Maanshan NPP
practical. in the extreme south of Taiwan, the upcoming
Blackouts have become more the norm than presidential election is increasingly being seen
the exception in some areas, but are rarely as a vote for energy security as much as for a pre-
experienced in the nation’s capital, where the ferred political party.
P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 12 22 •March•2023
