The Taiwan government has made it clear that it sees the construction of more nuclear power plants as inevitable, in spite of the growing opposition within the population, if the state is to meet the soaring demand for electricity.
The premier, Vincent Siew has committed himself to holding the number of nuclear power plants to four until 2020, Reuters reports. However he also said that nuclear’s share of generating capacity would remain at current levels, which cannot be achieved without further construction.
Nuclear power remains of strategic importance in Taiwan where over 90 per cent of fuel for energy is imported. The Taiwan Power Co has an installed capacity of around 27 750 MW, of which 20 per cent is derived from six reactors in three operating nuclear power plants. A fourth two-unit plant is under construction.
Demand for power is expected to rise sharply, to 71 200 MW by 2020. If nuclear is to contribute 20 per cent of this capacity, the number of nuclear power stations will have to rise sharply too.
One option for Taiwan, where the anti-nuclear lobby is growing in strength, is to add new reactors at existing nuclear plants. This could be accomplished at three sites. The vice Premier has indicated that this is considered a last resort for the government.
