Premier reaffirms green energy push, leaves door open to nuclear

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) The government remains committed to developing diverse green energy sources while keeping the door open to "new" nuclear power under certain conditions, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Tuesday.

Reducing carbon emissions is the priority and achieving net zero is the goal, Cho said at the Legislature, noting that the government remained committed to developing a diverse range of green energy sources.

The government will also focus on expediting the conversion of the remaining coal-fired power generators to gas-fired ones, he said.

He said Taiwan is "open to collaborating with the world on new [power generation] technologies" as it moves toward a stable and sufficient power supply.

At the same time, he noted, Taiwan relies on foreign energy supplies, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The premier's comments align with the government's energy policy, which is to gradually phase out nuclear power plants while increasing the share of gas-fired energy in the country's energy mix, as it seeks to develop renewables.

He was asked to comment on remarks made by Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT) Taipei Main Office, during an exclusive interview with Liberty Times on March 7.

Greene said the United States was looking to collaborate with Taiwan to ensure its energy supply keeps pace with the growing electricity demand from tech companies.

He said that the U.S., the world's largest energy exporter, can help meet Taiwan's needs in LNG, renewables and nuclear energy.

The AIT director called nuclear power "an exciting area for cooperation going forward" between the two sides.

"So, we've been actively talking to companies here and government agencies about if there is this option for the U.S. to help Taiwan in this direction," he said in the interview.

On Tuesday, Cho said Taiwan does not rule out adopting "new nuclear energy" provided that nuclear safety is ensured and a societal consensus on its use is reached.

He said the government looks forward to engaging with leaders and developers of new technologies for dialogue, research and collaboration.

Cho said he was aware that lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang had planned to amend the law so that the lifespan of the remaining operational nuclear reactor at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County could be extended.

The premier did not say whether he supported the idea or not.

He, however, reaffirmed that the reactor at Maanshan would be decommissioned on May 17 as scheduled, according to existing laws.