Indictment Brought In Ching Fu Scandal Four executives at the Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co., including chairman Chen Ching-nan, were indicted by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutor’s Office on February 12 on charges of fraud, breach of trust, and banking law violations. Prosecutors recommended a 30-year prison sentence for the chairman, commutable to a NT$1 billion (US$34…
The third receiving terminal has been postponed for environmental reasons – the prospective impact on a unique reef. Citing the need for further study of the rare coral reefs that lie nearby beneath the waters off Taoyuan County, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on October 26 called for further postponement of a project to build…
Concern is growing as to whether Taiwan can meet its objectives to both eliminate nuclear power and greatly cut carbon emissions by 2025. The reliance on nuclear has already fallen sharply, as several reactors that had to be temporarily shut down have not been brought back online. In the meantime, increased generation from coal-fired plants…
Idled nuclear reactors are being restarted, but policy uncertainty and capacity limitations continue to trouble Taiwan’s power sector. After sitting idle since November 30 last year, reactor 1 at Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant 2 (NPP 2) has resumed operations this week in time to meet summer peak demand. As of publication the reactor was running…
The Jinshan reactor 2 goes offline with a transmission line collapse. The last remaining operational nuclear reactor in Northern Taiwan – Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP 1) reactor 2 – was automatically shut down after one of the main transmission line towers at the plant collapsed during torrential rains on June 3. Taiwan Power Co….
Simultaneously achieving the two goals will be a big challenge. Nuclear power, which by law is due to be phased out entirely by 2025, has dropped to less than 6% of total power generation in Taipower’s grid. With four out of six reactors offline – two because of Legislative Yuan reluctance to approve the resumption…
Massive investment in solar and wind power will be needed if Taiwan is to phase out nuclear energy at the same time as meeting its carbon abatement commitments. This is part one of a three-part story on Taiwan’s energy situation: Part 2 Part 3 The “Energiewende” – energy transformation – of Germany’s power supply has…
Can Taiwan maintain reliable – and affordable – electricity prices even as it slashes greenhouse gas emissions? This is part three of a three-part story on Taiwan’s energy situation: Part 1 Part 2 Among the extensive data available on the website of the Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) – the state-owned monopoly responsible for power generation,…
With both nuclear power plants in northern Taiwan soon to shut down, a significant gap in power supply is looming. This is part Two of a three-part story on Taiwan’s energy situation: Part 1 Part 3 Taiwan will get an early introduction to the dream of a “Nuclear-free Homeland” this summer when two-thirds of its…
Nuclear Power Drops with Reactor Stoppage Taiwan was given a trial run of the Democratic Progressive Party’s “nuclear-free homeland” policy as one by one, four of its six nuclear reactors went offline for various reasons. On December 26, one of the two 985-megawatt (MW) reactors at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant (NPP 2) in New…
